Delusions
by AJ Matthews
Summary: The Glorfindel/Haldir prequel to my AU 'Reasons to Fight, Reasons To Wed'. This is Haldir and Glorfindel's first meeting! Finally Updated!! The R Rating is in effect!
1. Part 1. Arrival

Author's Notes: This takes place sometime in between the prologue and first chapter of 'Reasons To Fight, Reasons To Wed'. This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will have a brief mention at some point in this fic. Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me!

Delusions

Part 1. Arriving

A single, lone Elf walked silently through the forest of Lothlorien. 

The numerous trees were lit up with the sunlight that beamed down on them, illuminating them. The rowan, ash, pine, and hemlock trees shone with perfect health and the natural light of Lothlorien, and their different leaves were mostly green, though a few pine needles were a burnt red. The ground beneath the Elf's feet was soft and springy, as only fresh, green grass could be, and the flowers nearby gave off a sweet smell, lightening his spirits.

The solitary Elf was handsome to behold, with a strong profile and long, golden hair, which currently was pulled back with a clip, keeping it off of his face. His skin was pale, as most Elves' skin tended to be, and his ears, which showed clearly, were pointed. Right now, a brooding expression was in his deep, blue eyes.

His clothes were fine and smooth, made of some of the finest cloth produced in Rivendell, as befit an Elven lord. The perfectly fitting shirt was the color of the new leaves, a shade of green, while the tunic he wore over it was light in color; a pale blue-grey. His low-fitting leggings were a teal color, but not so bright that they would attract unwanted attention, and his boots were a dark grey. A sword hung low at his waist, attached to the black belt that he wore, and a bow was slung across his back, along with a quiver full of arrows. His firm muscles showed clearly through the clothes that appeared to cling to his body, outlining every move or gesture that he made.

Glorfindel knew that he was being watched; he was not a young, impatient Elf and easily distracted. He merely continued walking, ignoring the eyes that watched him, for the Elven lord knew that if it was an enemy that watched him, he would already have been attacked. And Glorfindel also knew that no enemies traveled this far into Lothlorien without being executed or sent away by the Galadhrim. 

Sure enough, as Glorfindel ventured deeper into the forest, heading for the heart of the beautiful woods in Lothlorien, two Elves confronted him.

'State your name, stranger,' a voice said from the shadows.

A second voice added, 'Before we decide that you are no Kin.' His voice was haughtier than the other voice.

'Show yourselves first, so I may know who I am identifying myself to,' Glorfindel countered, feeling a twinge of annoyance.

Two Elves stepped forward.

One was dark-haired, which was surprising,, considering that most Elves in Lothlorien had pale hair. His skin was light, but it was his eyes that drew Glorfindel's attention. They were sharp, calculating, and dark, which made the Elven lord feel slightly uneasy.

Instead of the customary colors that the 'Lorien Elves wore, he wore dark, rusty, red leggings, with a black shirt on. The color perfectly matched his dark hair, which was long; long enough to hang lower than his shoulders. Black boots were on his feet, and he wore no tunic. As Elves go, he was not unpleasant to behold, but the faint, slightly cold smile on his face was enough to turn any away. The same could not be said for his companion.

An obviously younger Elf than the other one, this Elf was much more handsome to behold. A sly smile was on his face, but it added to his pleasant features. Pale, blond hair flowed freely past his shoulders, the exact same shade as Glorfindel's own. Amused azure eyes met the slightly darker blue eyes of the Elven lord, and a grin appeared on his face. He wore light, grey leggings, and a green tunic, with a tan shirt. His boots were green as well and shifted slightly. The clothes he wore followed every graceful movement he made.

Glorfindel was surprised to find himself intently looking at the other blond Elf, until a smirk appeared on **_his_** face, for he had been caught staring.

'Who are you?' the other one demanded, stepping possessively between Haldir and the strange Elf that had just come.

Haldir was amused that the admittedly very attractive Elf had been caught staring at him, though he was glad that he had not been caught staring as well. Haldir had not seen such a striking Elf before in Lothlorien, save for Lord Celeborn and Rissan, who was scowling currently at the stranger.

Haldir was annoyed that Rissan was treating him like a child, as if he needed protection. After all, the new Elf was not threatening them in any way so far.

'I am Glorfindel of Imladris, known also as Rivendell,' Glorfindel answered.

Rissan frowned, trying to remember an Elf by that name.

Haldir exclaimed, 'Let him be, Rissan! He is an Elven lord.' Haldir took a better look at the Elven lord, for he had heard his name many times by the other Elves in Lothlorien.

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at the interested look that the young one was giving him. He was taken aback when a wink was given to him, before the two Elves offered their names.

'I am Rissan,' the dark-haired Elf said abruptly, as if his mind was on other things.

Haldir murmured, 'And I am Haldir. I hope that your stay in Lothlorien will be pleasant, **Lord** Glorfindel.' He was genuinely curious about the Elven lord, for he had been told many tales of this Elf by the older Galadhrim, and he wondered if all of the stories were true.

Glorfindel merely nodded, not liking the way Haldir had emphasized 'Lord'.

Rissan was annoyed when he saw the two staring at each other again. 'Would you like an escort to see the Lord and Lady?' he offered, hiding his annoyance.

'That is not necessary,' Glorfindel stated flatly.

'We insist, don't we, Rissan,' Haldir said, giving them both a broad grin. A mischievous look appeared in his eyes, making him appear very fey. 'Our Lord and Lady would be upset if we did not perform our duty and take you to them.'

Glorfindel's annoyance grew at Haldir's boldness. Why were the young so bold and arrogant, he wondered. It never failed to irritate him, for Glorfindel had seen many, many millennia, **_and_** he needed no guide to where Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn waited. To his vague surprise, Rissan seemed to echo his exasperation. That Elf Glorfindel disliked already, though he had no reason to. But his feelings were usually right, so Glorfindel stored his perception away for now.

Rissan grudgingly nodded, annoyed because he and Haldir had come out here to be alone, not to escort visitors around. It wasn't even their turn to patrol, although obviously, whoever's turn it had been had failed in their duty.

Glorfindel firmly stated, 'I would know my way around Lothlorien blind, young ones. You must have better things to do than lead someone around who has been here many times.'

'Must we?' Haldir teased. 'You are well known in Lothlorien, though I do not recall hearing that you learned your way around blindfolded.'

'I was **not** blindfolded,' Glorfindel informed Haldir, trying not to insult him, but his irritation was growing.

Haldir jested, 'Then how would you know your way around 'Lorien blind?' A triumphant look appeared in his eyes when Glorfindel didn't answer. He shot a grin over to Rissan, but his smile faded at the scowl on his lover's face. 'Rissan, is something wrong?'

'Nothing, Haldir, except that **_we_** have plans this afternoon, **_remember_**?' Rissan pointedly said.

'Then let me not keep you from them,' Glorfindel interjected. He didn't want to hear about any plans that the two younger Elves had made, because jealousy, for some insane reason, was a sharp, bitter taste inside of him right now.

Rissan was pleased to hear those words, and they lessened his grievance with the Elven lord before them. He looked at Haldir, who simply shrugged. 'Then we should go, Haldir,' Rissan impatiently said.

'I suppose we must be denied the pleasure of your company then, Lord Glorfindel. Do enjoy yourself while you are here, for there are many delights to be had in Lothlorien,' Haldir teased, before he turned to Rissan. 'Let's go, my friend, lest Lord Celeborn call us in to do something else.'

The two Elves walked off together, leaving behind a relieved Elf, who continued walking the instant they were out of sight.

That young one- Haldir- actually had the audacity to tease him, Glorfindel scornfully reflected. He had no patience for foolish young Elves, who did nothing more than dally around with whomever their current partner was, and who delighted in being arrogant. It was obvious to Glorfindel that Haldir knew just how eye-catching he was, for his self-assuredness and unwavering gaze spoke volumes. As for that other one… Glorfindel would waste not time thinking of him. He had more important things to do.

The Elven lord eventually reached the heart of 'Lorien, where he was warmly greeted by Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.

'I am here for two reasons, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel,' Glorfindel told them, his tone respectful and courteous.

Lady Galadriel said dispassionately, 'Speak, Glorfindel.' Her eyes never wavered from the Elf who stood before her and Celeborn.

Glorfindel stated, 'It has been confirmed that Gondor's King and Queen have fallen, and the heir to the throne now resides in Imladris, being raised by Lord Elrond himself as his son, until such time as Aragorn can take the throne.'

Celeborn sighed, and said, 'It is as we feared, then. Our allies in Gondor are deceased.'

'Yes, Lord Celeborn. The people of Gondor managed to keep the Kingdom itself from falling, and Elrond's spies have learned that a Steward is going to take charge of Gondor, at least until Aragorn is old enough.'

'So it will be,' Galadriel murmured. 'Aragorn is a mere child now and cannot rule. Why else have you come?'

Glorfindel bit back his own sigh. 'Lord Elrond feels that it would be beneficial for me to spend some time away from Imladris, since I have not done so these two millennia past. It is his will that I stay here for at least a few months, preferably a year.'

Celeborn nodded. 'Make yourself at home, Glorfindel. We gladly welcome you.'

Those words reminded Glorfindel of what Haldir had said to him earlier about him being well known in Lothlorien. Flustered, the Elven lord requested that he be taken to a suitable talen to rest. The journey from Rivendell to Lothlorien had been tiring, though he was loath to admit it.

Galadriel turned to one of the Elven servants. 'Fetch Rissan or Haldir,' she said, in her non-demanding voice, though authority echoed in it.

The servant bowed and left to find one of the two.

Glorfindel inwardly groaned. Either Haldir or Rissan was to find him a place to sleep? He didn't relish the thought at all, but he knew that he needed rest. His fatigue forced him to hide back the yawns he struggled to stifle.

In a relatively short time, Haldir walked in, led by the servant. His hair was messier than it had been earlier, and his clothes were slightly wrinkled.

'You wanted to see me, Lady Galadriel?' Haldir questioned, before respectfully kneeling before her and Lord Celeborn. Part of him resented being dragged away from his time with Rissan, but he knew his duty too well.

'Escort Lord Glorfindel to one of the empty talens, Haldir,' Galadriel said neutrally.

Haldir nodded and looked at Glorfindel. 'Follow me, please,' he requested.

The Elven lord did so silently, as the appealing younger Elf easily glided through the low branches and bushes, leading the way towards the guest talens. Haldir occasionally glanced back to ensure that Glorfindel was keeping up, for he didn't want to leave the Rivendell Elf behind.

'Are you still with me, Lord Glorfindel?' he questioned, a teasing glint in his eyes, when he saw that the Elven lord was falling behind slightly. 'I would not like having to tell my Lord or Lady that I lost you.'

Glorfindel merely frowned his disapproval of Haldir's antics.

Haldir's grin grew wider. 'You don't like me, do you?'

'I haven't known you long enough to decide that,' Glorfindel carefully answered. Though he had decided that while he was put off by the younger Elf's slight arrogance, there was something strangely appealing about him.

'Don't you mean, you don't know me well enough?' Haldir countered, before he stopped underneath an empty talen. 'Do enjoy your rest, Lord Glorfindel.' The 'Lorien Elf walked away, before the other Elf could say anything. Though the crimson flush that had appeared on that handsome face was most attractive…

Glorfindel muttered, 'Foolish young one.' He climbed up the tree and into the talen and, after removing his shoes, lay down on the mattress. He could hear the faint echo of laughter as Haldir walked away, obviously very amused at his response to his pointed statement.

Glorfindel's opinion had changed. No, he did not like Haldir, when the younger Elf did naught but tease him and laugh at his expense. When he had been younger, Glorfindel remembered, young Elves had not been so impish and outspoken. To say such words like that to an Elven lord was unheard of!

'I don't like him,' Glorfindel stated aloud, before he let himself drift into sleep.

To be continued


	2. Part 2. Games

Author's Notes: This takes place sometime between the Prologue and first chapter of 'Reasons'. The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will have a brief mention at some point in this fic. Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! Takes place a couple of hours after the last chapter. Can anyone guess who Rissan is?

Part 2. Games

Haldir cheerfully whistled as he let his bow sing, striking the target directly in the center. The young 'Lorien Elf casually strung another arrow, before releasing it as well. The second arrow split the first one down the middle, and embedded itself deeply into the wooden target. The third arrow, however, missed its target, striking the lower part of the target instead of the center.

Haldir frowned and tried again, but the same thing happened again. He began inspecting his bow, to see if it was damaged or needed repair. He bent his head over his work, letting his fingers run up the smooth wood of the bow.

A splinter pricked his thumb deeply, breaking off in the skin, and Haldir winced.

Glorfindel had finally awoken, and the Elven lord was heading back towards the Lord and Lady of the Wood, when he came across the empty clearing that Haldir was practicing in. It was rather well hidden, with tall shrubs and trees around it,

Haldir placed his bow on the ground, sat next to it, and began trying to remove the splinter with only his fingers, before he finally drew a dagger and began carefully cutting it out. Haldir showed no emotion, even when his efforts drove the rather large splinter in deeper, making it begin to bleed more.

Glorfindel questioned, 'Did you injure yourself?' He could see the blood swelling from the splinter, before it tapered off.

'Not too badly,' Haldir wryly answered. 'This will teach me to make certain that my bow is smooth and flawless.' He refused to go to the Lady of the Wood for a mere splinter, however deep, and persisted in its removal.

'I see,' Glorfindel said slowly. He could truly see, and he knew that Haldir would never get the splinter out with such a large blade, especially when he could only use one hand. Though Glorfindel told himself that he was just being nice, and that he still didn't like the haughty Elf.

Haldir finally conceded defeat and silently cleaned his dagger off, before re-sheathing it. 'Oh, well,' he sighed tragically. A sly look was in his eyes, before he stated, 'My skin will just have to heal around it.' The young Elf stood, grabbing his bow with his good hand, and prepared to continue practicing.

Glorfindel stalked over, drawing out the small dagger that he kept in a pouch, before he took Haldir's hand in his own firmly.

Haldir raised an eyebrow slightly, as the Elven lord expertly began extracting the splinter, surprised by the strange, unaccustomed feeling inside of him, while he watched Glorfindel work. Warmth was growing in him, and Haldir slightly swallowed.

Glorfindel carefully re-opened where the skin had begun growing over the splinter, and easily removed it. He had gotten many splinters in his youth, and his father had shown him out to remove them. The Elven lord ignored the stirring inside of him, as he silently held up the large splinter that had been in the smooth, perfectly-shaped thumb.

'You have my thanks, Lord Glorfindel,' Haldir murmured, genuinely grateful. He was surprised when the older Elf did not release his hand right away, but did not show it.

'You're welcome… young one,' Glorfindel said, finally dropping the soft hand that he held, and was annoyed with himself for missing the feel of the warm hand in his.

Haldir gave Glorfindel a brilliant smile, which lit up his face, before he turned back to the target and notched an arrow in his bow, before letting it fly. It landed where the other two arrows had, on the edge of the target. The 'Lorien Elf was embarrassed that such a respected Elven lord saw how bad he was at archery. Haldir practiced all the time, but could only hit the target once every three times.

He jested, 'And this is why I will never become the leader of the Galadhrim,' to cover up his humiliation. Haldir was just glad that his face hadn't flushed, as it tended to do when he was ashamed.

Glorfindel narrowed his eyes. 'Your stance is wrong, for one thing, young Haldir. Your feet should be set apart slightly, not together as if they were tied that way.' 

'Like this?' Haldir said, spreading his feet apart a few inches. He bristled at the word young, but did not comment on it. He truly wanted to learn to master archery, and Glorfindel was rumored to be one of the best at it.

"Yes. And be mindful of when you draw the bowstring back- don't jar yourself with your elbow so much,' Glorfindel instructed.

Haldir notched another arrow and released it. A pleased smile broke out on his face when it split the arrow that had split the first one earlier.

Glorfindel could only stare for a few moments at the beautiful smile, which lit up Haldir's eyes, making them shine like stars.

Rissan seethed, as he stood in the shadows, watching the two blond Elves together. Haldir was his, and his alone, and no Elven lord was going to jeopardize that. 

Haldir looked over at Glorfindel. 'Again, thank you,' he told the Elven lord, stifling a yawn of his own. 'I believe that it is nearly time to eat.'

'So I see,' Glorfindel said. 'I'll see you later, then, young one.'

'I am **not** young,' Haldir countered stubbornly.

Glorfindel replied, 'You are… to me.'

Haldir smirked. 'How would you know? You don't even know me at all.'

Not again, the Elven lord silently groaned. Another hint, another jest… Didn't the young one- Haldir- realize that he was a lot more pleasant to be around when he wasn't joking all of the time? Glorfindel felt his irritation returning, as he sternly looked at Haldir, who was still smirking.

'Indeed, I don't know you, but I would remind you that I am an Elven lord, and am not to be taken lightly,' Glorfindel finally answered.

'Then how should you be taken?' Haldir's eyes danced with mischief, as he purposefully misunderstood what the Elven lord had said. 'Shall I take you seriously? Humorously?' 

Glorfindel realized that he had set himself up for that, though he was very vexed right now. Such bluntness was unthinkable to him, and Glorfindel silently stalked away, leaving Haldir behind. He was not going to tolerate an impertinent youth saying such things to him, of all people. Glorfindel even wondered that the Lady and the Lord let Haldir get away with such bold statements.

Haldir had only been joking, so he didn't understand why Glorfindel was now upset with him. A small shadow crossed his face, before he sighed and turned back to his archery, after watching Glorfindel rapidly stride away. A second sigh escaped the first, for Haldir was extremely disappointed, though he didn't know why.

His distraction kept Haldir from noticing when Rissan stepped out from the shadows of the tree he had been hiding in. An unreadable look was on the older Elf's face, as he noiselessly crept up on Haldir and tapped him on the shoulder.

Haldir jumped slightly, before two arms firmly took a hold of his waist, and warm breath swept over one of his ears. The blond Elf felt a body press against his and the arms around him held him tighter, and he tried not to show his slight fear.

'Haldir…' Rissan breathed into the other pointed ear. 'I have been looking for you for a while now…'

'Rissan,' Haldir said, relief flooding through him. 'I didn't know that you were looking for me.'

Rissan purred, 'But I was, Haldir…' His arms took an even harder grip on the younger Elf, making him wince.

'I'm sorry,' Haldir told his lover automatically. He knew that he should have found Rissan first, but he had wanted to practice his archery and then Glorfindel had come along.

'You should be, because instead of spending your free time with me, you spent it with that Elf from Rivendell,' Rissan snapped. He had made his feelings about this to Haldir- or so he had thought. Haldir was supposed to spend all of his free time with him and no one else.

Haldir flinched. 'He was only helping me with my archery; there's no need to get jealous, Rissan. And he got the splinter out of my hand for me.'

Rissan coldly smiled, before he roughly ran a hand down Haldir's back, causing the younger Elf to shiver, but whether it was from pain or pleasure was not known.. 'Please make sure that no reason ever occurs for me to get jealous, Haldir… I could not ever stand seeing you with another; I would die of grief less than minutes later.'

'All right,' Haldir agreed. He did have a deep respect for Glorfindel, though he also enjoyed teasing him, but he didn't want to cause Rissan to die from grief because of him. 'I won't spend any time with him unless Lord Celeborn makes me.' Though he was not happy now, because Glorfindel had been nice to him and now he was going to have to go out of his way to avoid the Elven lord, to make Rissan happy and keep him from dying.

'Excellent,' Rissan said, glad that that had been settled.

No one knew exactly where the dark-haired Elf had come from; he had just shown up one day, with naught but his weapons and the clothes on his back. Soon after he'd arrived, Rissan had staked out the youngest Elf in the Galadhrim- Haldir- as his, and made certain that everyone kept far away from him, for he was a possessive Elf by nature. Those who crossed him paid dearly for it, though most were not around to talk about it.

Haldir hated giving in like that, but he genuinely loved Rissan and did not want to hurt him. To his surprise, Rissan removed his arms and turned him to face him. A harsh grip was placed on Haldir's right wrist, and the younger Elf frowned, not understanding what Rissan was actually doing, until the grip grew hard enough to bruise him, being felt even by his bones.

'That hurts,' Haldir protested, before he tried to yank his wrist away, and he gasped in pain when the grip grew harder. 'What are you doing? Let me go!'

Rissan stated, 'Marking you as mine, Haldir. You belong to me and no one else, and it's time I reminded you of that.'

Haldir winced even more, as the grip grew unbearably hard. His wrist was hurting badly now, and he fiercely tried to pull away, but the grip merely grew worse. He felt his bones shifting in his hand, and desperately struggled harder, but he was no match for a full-grown Elf, who was much stronger than him. Rissan twisted the wrist sharply, making Haldir cry out in pain. He was making certain that no mistakes would be made here. 

By the time Haldir was released, he was certain that his wrist was either sprained very badly or broken. It was red and swollen, with dark, purpling bruises on it, in the shape of the fingers that had been holding it so tightly. When he tried to move his wrist, the pain was so bad that he had to bite back a choked scream. He turned a hurt and bewildered look to the older Elf, who stood there coolly looking at him.

'That,' Rissan stated flatly, 'was for daring to look at him. You are mine, Haldir, and you would do well to remember that. I do not want to see you near him again, understand?' 

Haldir wordlessly gaped at Rissan, not understanding. Anger, fear, confusion, and betrayal shone in his blue eyes, before he ran off, in pain of two kinds. The pain was both in his wrist and in his heart, so Haldir fled away from it as best as he could.

How could Rissan hurt him like this, Haldir wondered, as he raced through the bushes and trees, ignoring Rissan's plea for him to come back. He had only been joking with Glorfindel, and that wasn't against the rules, unless he upset him too much. Haldir would never hurt Rissan; love wasn't about hurting the one you loved, after all.

A few tears pricked at Haldir's eyes, for his right wrist was really hurting now. The swelling was only getting worse, and he didn't know what to do. He couldn't go to Lady Galadriel; she would ask him what had happened and he would not be able to lie.

Haldir didn't want to get Rissan in trouble; it was his fault for being with Glorfindel, after all. He knew how easily that Rissan got jealous, and each time it was his fault. But Rissan had never hurt him like this before.

The 'Lorien Elf dodged around two trees and ran straight into a warm, strong body. Haldir hissed in pain, because he had jarred his throbbing wrist, before he tilted his face up to meet the stern look on Glorfindel's face. Haldir inwardly groaned, for he did not need this right now. Rissan was already mad enough at him; this would just make things worse.

Glorfindel's annoyance grew when the impatient youngster ran directly into him, and he disapprovingly raised an eyebrow. That is, until he saw the swollen wrist that Haldir tried to hide, placing it behind his back, after the Elven lord had seen it.

To be continued


	3. Part 3. Pride

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will have be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'.

Part 3. Pride

'What happened to you?' Glorfindel asked, narrowing his dark blue eyes slightly.

Haldir carefully avoided looking at the Elven lord. 'Nothing; I had an accident.' He stepped around Glorfindel, and began sprinting off again, before Rissan could catch up with him. Haldir didn't want to speak to his lover right now, but he was surprised when Glorfindel overtook him easily, before blocking the path in front of him.

Glorfindel crossed his arms and frowned. 'Why are you in such a hurry?' He was shocked to see a glimmer of what looked like tears in the younger Elf's eyes

'No reason… I… Sorry I ran into you,' Haldir murmured, using his left hand to keep his right wrist immobilized. 'Excuse me, please.'

'Let me see your wrist,' Glorfindel sternly said, not moving aside. He knew that something was obviously upsetting Haldir. Part of him was concerned, because even though he had only met the young Elf earlier in the day, Glorfindel had a feeling that Haldir was not usually so troubled. Though the Elven lord didn't want to think about why he was concerned over such a young, sometimes irritating Elf, who enjoyed taunting him.

Haldir warily judged Glorfindel's words, and determined that from the firm look that he was being given, that the Elven lord was not going to let him leave, not until he did as he wanted. Haldir sighed and slowly released his right wrist, so that Glorfindel could see it. The throbbing pain was even worse now.

Glorfindel carefully inspected the wrist, and a flash of anger shone in his eyes when he saw the finger-marks on the small, thin wrist. This was no _accident_. The stoic Elven lord studied the bruises that were slowly, finally beginning to fade, but the rest of the wrist was swollen and, from the flinch on Haldir's face, hurt.

'Who did this?' Glorfindel asked, in a neutral tone of voice, because he was not one to show his emotions as freely as Haldir did. But he was angry at the thought of someone hurting one as young as Haldir seemed to be. Yes, Haldir was a little annoying, but he also had a strange naïvety and innocence to him.

Haldir opened his mouth, before he closed it again. He knew that if he said that it was Rissan, then Rissan would get in trouble, and Haldir didn't want that. But he was also certain that Glorfindel would see directly through a lie, if he told one. Haldir hated lying, and did his best to not tell lies, but he couldn't get Rissan in trouble.

Both turned when Rissan stepped into view, a frown marring his face. Glorfindel was suspicious the instant that he saw Haldir stiffen and turn his face away from Rissan. The Elven lord looked straight at the dark-haired Elf, who ignored him and focused on Haldir.

'I'm sorry, Haldir. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings,' Rissan murmured. 'I let my anger out on you. Please forgive me.'

Haldir was not certain if he should believe Rissan, but the older Elf had never hurt him before now and he seemed to be sincere. He was surprised at the icy glare that Glorfindel gave Rissan.

The Elven lord sharply asked, 'Did you do this?' He gestured to the badly swollen wrist that he still held.

Rissan narrowed his eyes and stated flatly, 'No, I did not.'

'I told you; I had an accident,' Haldir protested, looking at Glorfindel. He felt sick in his heart for lying so, and therefore was reluctant to look him directly in the eyes.

Glorfindel knew it for the lie it was, at least on Haldir's part. The imprint of the fingers on the thin wrist proved that whatever had happened was no accident. However, he had no proof or anything to back up his doubts, so he finally said, 'I see. You should have Lady Galadriel treat this, lest it be broken and heal wrong, without being set.'

Haldir reverted to his teasing side, to hide his inner wince at that suggestion. 'The Lady of Lothlorien surely has far more important things to do than tend to an Elf who was careless in what he was doing.' 

'**I** will take care of his wrist,' Rissan angrily muttered.

'Do you know how?' Glorfindel countered.

Haldir didn't like the way the conversation was going at all. 'Come then, Rissan, if you are going to…' His voice trailed off when he saw the glare that Rissan and Glorfindel were exchanging

Another Elf approached, searching out the visiting Lord Glorfindel.

'My lord,' he said in greeting, bowing slightly to Glorfindel. 'Lord Celeborn wishes to see you sometime this evening. He also summons you, Haldir, to appear before him.'

Rissan gritted his teeth. How annoying, he thought. He had plans for this night with Haldir, and it looked like even Lord Celeborn was interfering with them. Not to mention this Elf from Rivendell. Elven lord or not, Rissan had plans, and not even Glorfindel was going to interfere with them. He'd waited too long already.

'Very well,' Glorfindel said. He started walking towards where the servant was leading, before he turned back to the young Elf, whose wrist he still held. 'Are you coming?'

A silent nod was the answer, for Haldir would not be so bold as to refuse to show up to a summons from Lord Celeborn. He walked next to Glorfindel, strangely quiet. The strong fingers wrapped around his wrist were firm- but not so much that they hurt. Haldir could think of other uses for such strong fingers, until he scolded himself for the turn his thoughts had just taken. Currently, at least, Glorfindel didn't even like him.

Glorfindel glanced at Haldir, surprised by the complex emotions in his eyes. It appeared that Haldir was thinking about something, and the older Elf briefly wondered what it was. Then he mentally shrugged and reminded himself that he didn't like the outspoken younger Elf. Glorfindel hid his tiny, very slight regret that Haldir was not teasing him again, for though it was humiliating to him, it was a little amusing, as well. But he would not admit that to anyone.

The two Elves rapidly walked after the one who led them, each lost in their own thoughts, until they reached the platform where the Lady and Lord of the Wood waited for them.

Glorfindel released the wrist he gently held, realizing how it might look to others, and turned his gaze to Galadriel and Celeborn. 'You wished to see me?' he inquired passively.

'Indeed,' Celeborn said, as he leaned forward slightly in his white, carved chair. 'I know that you were sent here to have time away from your duties at Imladris, but… I have a request of you.'

A nod was Glorfindel's only answer; an eloquent movement that said he would do the request, whatever it might be.

Galadriel spoke gravelly, when she stated, 'There is something plaguing the forest. Two of the Galadhrim were found nearly dead near our borders a few hours ago, while you slept. This is not the first time it has happened, for other Elven patrols have been mysteriously attacked. Since you are one of the most experienced Elves in tracking down prey, we feel that you would be best to find it, along with Haldir.'

Haldir gaped wordlessly. Him? Why was he to go? It wasn't as if he was the best at tracking or anything, at least not yet. But he would be one day, Haldir had silently vowed, when he had been taunted slightly for his inferior skills.

'Isn't he a bit young?' Glorfindel asked, a slightly disapproving note in his voice.

'What better chance to gain experience, especially with an older Elf of your admirable skills?' Celeborn answered calmly. 'Haldir is young, yes, but he learns quickly.'

Galadriel added, 'It should not take more than a handful of days to find out what attacked the patrols. Three days of traveling throughout all of Lothlorien should reveal who or what it is that plagues on Elves.'

Glorfindel inwardly groaned. He was going to be out patrolling Lothlorien for three days- which he did not mind- with an Elven youth? Not to mention an appealing one, who was apparently having some sort of disagreement with Rissan over something. Though whatever it was appeared serious, and Glorfindel still wondered who had hurt Haldir, if it was not Rissan. 

Haldir saw the look on Glorfindel's face and felt hurt and resentful. Yes, he was young, but did the Elven lord have to act like he was nothing more than a nuisance? Haldir stiffened, bitterness building in him. The day had started out so nice, and now it was just getting worse, with this being the worst. Glorfindel saw him as nothing more than a child.

The Elven lord finally agreed, biting back a deep sigh, before he turned to walk away. He paused when he heard Lord Celeborn speaking again.

'Would you mind going with him, Haldir?' Celeborn asked politely. 

Haldir deliberately stated, 'It would be my pleasure, Lord Celeborn. I have heard tales of Lord Glorfindel's **_many_** abilities and I believe that I could learn something from this experience.'

Glorfindel bit back a sharp reply to that statement, knowing that it was purposefully meant to be offensive.

Celeborn narrowed his eyes at Haldir but said nothing, as he simply nodded. Whatever problem existed between the youngest of the Galadhrim and Lord Glorfindel should be worked out by them, instead of by himself and Galadriel. Besides, they had not been asked to interfere.

Haldir waited until after Glorfindel was leaving, before he left as well. Triumph was in him, for he knew full well that he had upset the Elven lord with his words. He'd meant to, for the humiliation the older Elf had given him by implying that he was not worthy of aiding him merely because he was young.

As soon as they were alone, Glorfindel turned on the younger Elf, who had a satisfied look on his face.

'Do you enjoy embarrassing your Kin?' Glorfindel sharply asked.

Haldir smirked, 'What would I know of embarrassment? I'm only a youth, and incapable of knowing how much actions affect others.'

Glorfindel retorted, 'You're not **_that_** young. You know better.'

'Think of how you feel now, and how I felt when you mortified me by stating that I should not go with you because I am young,' Haldir said pointedly. 'I was merely teaching you the same lesson you are now trying to teach me.'

Annoyance flashed in Glorfindel's blue eyes, until Haldir winced, when he touched his swollen wrist. The entire time they had been speaking with the Lord and Lady, Haldir had kept his right hand out of sight, to keep from drawing attention to it.

Haldir sighed and muttered, 'When do you plan on leaving to find out whatever it is that is attacking the other Elves?' His gaze was fixed on his wrist, and pain flickered in his eyes.

'Tomorrow morning, at dawn,' Glorfindel crisply informed the younger Elf. 'I expect you to be ready by then.'

'And if I'm not?' Haldir teasingly asked.

Glorfindel replied, 'Then I'll be forced to wake you.'

Haldir nodded, before yawning against his will. He shook his head, and told the older Elf, 'Then I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to get this taken care of and go to bed.' He held up his right hand sleepily, his long day finally catching up with him.

'Who is going to wrap it?' Glorfindel inquired casually, hiding the concern he felt.

'Rissan… I guess,' Haldir said, sounding uncertain. He still was not certain of what to do about Rissan, for while the one he loved had apologized, no words had been spoken by him. Maybe some time away from the dark-haired Elf would do him some good.

Glorfindel sighed. 'Follow me,' he muttered, before he walked towards his talen. Haldir noiselessly followed, curiosity in his eyes, as they made their way through the multiple trees and shrubs.

The two reached the talen, and Glorfindel climbed up long enough to grab some herbs and some slightly stiff cloth. He then returned to the ground and applied the pain-relieving herbs to the swollen wrist, before he almost tenderly began wrapping it, making it tight and firm, so that it could not be bent at all or moved.

'Thank you, for a third time,' Haldir whispered. A slight flush was on his face, before he bid the Elven lord a good evening and said he'd be waiting in the morning. Then Haldir left for his talen, still brooding over the strange feeling in his heart.

Glorfindel watched Haldir go once more, feeling something inside of him, which he had not felt in a long time. The golden-haired Elven lord shook his head, telling himself that it was just because he was lonely; he had been alone most of his life, after all. His lovers came and went, but none were serious about a commitment. Elves lived forever, so there was no rush.

Inside of his talen, Haldir packed up what he would need as best as he could one-handed, and then he collapsed into sleep on his bed. Not too far away, Glorfindel went to sleep as well, but both of their dreams were troubled.

To be continued


	4. Part 4. The First Day

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'.

Part 4. The First Day

Early the following morning, Haldir was awakened by someone opening the door to his talen. He sleepily focused his vacant eyes on the figure, before he stiffened slightly. It was Rissan who stood there, looking down at him impassively.

Haldir instantly sat up and gazed back, feeling the familiar twinges of hurt, betrayal, confusion, and a fleeting speck of love, replaced by wariness. The young Elf stood and watched Rissan silently.

'What do you want?' Haldir questioned, his voice sounded strained, even to him.

Rissan sighed, and barely kept from rolling his eyes. 'I already apologized, Haldir. I didn't mean to hurt you like that.'

Haldir carefully slipped his feet into his shoes, before he murmured, 'You did. You hurt me, no matter if you meant it or not. I don't know if I can easily forgive you for that.'

'I said I was sorry,' Rissan countered. 'What more do you want?'

'Nothing…' Haldir sighed. 'I'm leaving for a while; I've been chosen to go with Lord Glorfindel to find out what has been happening to the other Galadhrim.'

Rissan's eyes flashed briefly with a hidden emotion. 'So you had to get me out of the way first, Haldir?' he said, feigning hurt. He turned his back to the younger Elf. 'I thought I meant more to you than that.'

Haldir said, 'It's not my choice; Lord Celeborn wanted me to go. I cannot disobey him.'

'Why not?' Rissan demanded. 'I don't want you alone with that strange Elf from Rivendell.'

'You are not my keeper,' Haldir argued. 'I am going, and there is naught you can do about it, Rissan. I'll be gone for three days- we'll talk about this later.'

Rissan stepped closer to Haldir and narrowed his eyes. 'You belong to **_me_**, Haldir. Make sure you remember that. I will know if anything occurs between you and that Elven lord, and it will be fatal.'

Haldir protested, 'He doesn't even **_like_** me.'

'Yes, he does,' Rissan replied, before taking a firm grip on the shoulders of the younger Elf. 'You are far too young and naïve to see it, Haldir. Glorfindel will use you and leave you alone with a broken heart.'

'I'm not **_that_** young.' Haldir frowned at Rissan's words. 'What do you mean?'

Rissan hid a smirk, knowing that he had Haldir's full attention now. 'Come now, Haldir. Glorfindel is much, much older than you. Surely you do not think that he would settle down with someone like you, for he has never done so with another for very long. He can have anyone he wants, for Glorfindel is an Elven lord. And you…' He feigned sadness, before continuing with, 'You are merely the youngest Galadhrim, Haldir. He could not stay with you forever, for he is of a much higher rank than you.'

Haldir paled and looked slightly shaken. Could it be true, he wondered. He didn't have time to think about it, for a familiar voice was calling his name. It was the Elven lord himself.

'I'll be right there,' Haldir called back, as he grabbed the bag he'd packed the night before with his left hand. His right wrist was feeling a lot better, but would not be healed for a day or two.

Glorfindel stood at the bottom of the tree that the talen was in. He was looking into the branches when Haldir appeared at the doorway of his talen. Haldir tossed the bag he held down, and re-entered his talen, grabbing his bow and quiver.

Rissan caught Haldir's left arm and warned him, 'Do not let yourself fall for him, Haldir. It will only break your heart and cause death.' Of course, the dark-haired Elf had no intention of giving up; he just had to delay his plans for a few days, until Haldir returned.

Haldir said nothing in response and exited his talen once more.

Glorfindel was shocked when, instead of climbing down the ladder, which would have been difficult and painful with his injured wrist, Haldir merely leapt down to the ground, ignoring the distance between the two.

'That was a very foolish thing to do,' Glorfindel scolded.

Haldir smirked, 'I am young, Lord Glorfindel. Exceptions must be made for young ones.' His sly grin appeared, as Haldir slung his pack over his left shoulder, along with his bow and quiver. His sword hung at his side, though he most likely would not be using it, for he primarily used his right hand to wield the Elven blade.

Glorfindel's pack rested against his shoulders, and his sword was sheathed in its sheath, hanging from his sword-belt. His own quiver and bow were slung across his shoulder, and he looked directly at Haldir, a frown on his face.

Haldir chose to just smirk again, before he gestured for Glorfindel to lead the way.

As they walked together through the tall trees, which provided shade from the scorching sun that bore down on them, the day did not grow much better, at least in Glorfindel's opinion. Haldir delighted in teasing him, which was a little irritating, but the Elven lord was glad to see that the younger Elf was not nearly as upset today as he had been last night.

Neither of them found any trace of anything suspicious, though both were slightly distracted, but they managed to keep focused somewhat on their mission. The spot where the latest Galadhrim had been attacked was easy to find, for the grass was crushed, as were the flowers that had been in the field.

But that was not what drew their attention the most.

The flowers and grass that remained were wilting much more quickly than normal, a feat that was said only to be caused by the most evil creatures alive; the only one who had been proven to do such things to green, growing plants was Sauron himself.

Haldir looked directly at Glorfindel, shock on his face. 'It couldn't be **_him_**, could it?' Every Elf was wary of the evil one known as Sauron, the dark lord, though a few were afraid of him. Haldir himself was a little afraid, but it did not show in his voice.

'No,' Glorfindel said carefully. 'Everything here would be affected, if he was in Lothlorien, and both Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn would know.'

'Then who else could it be? The black riders that serve Saruman and Sauron?' Haldir questioned.

Glorfindel gaped at Haldir, not expecting that question. Lord Elrond, Lady Galadriel, and Lord Celeborn were trying to keep the existence of the Nazgul a secret from as many of the younger Elves as possible.

He slowly nodded and said, 'It could be them. But there is nothing here to suggest that the Nazgul are in Lothlorien, or that they were the ones who attacked the Galadhrim patrols. They usually leave obvious signs.'

Haldir frowned and murmured, 'So it's most likely an unknown enemy, who seems to be very strong if she, he, or they could defeat some of the stronger warriors in the Galadhrim.'

Glorfindel's hastily formed opinion of Haldir was changing. He had thought that the younger Elf was too impatient and mischievous to be of much help. Surprisingly, Haldir was proving him wrong by his thought-provoking questions and words. 'Indeed. The only trouble is that there are no clear tracks to follow, which means that either whoever it was knows how to conceal their tracks, and the Elves that found it surprised the unknown enemy, or this is a trap, set out to lure more Elves into the open.' Glorfindel chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully, uncharacteristically worried.

'What's wrong?' Haldir could sense the uneasiness in the Elven lord, and wondered at it, for Glorfindel was usually as stoic as Lord Celeborn was.

'If whoever it was attacks us, we stand about as much a chance of defeating it as the other Elves did,' Glorfindel told him. 'With your wrist injured like that…'

Haldir retorted, 'It will be fine tomorrow. Anyhow, if that person or thing was still here, would it not have attacked us by now?' He was annoyed now, because just when he thought he had proved to Glorfindel that he was not a child, the Elven lord again seemed to think that he was little more than a nuisance.

Glorfindel muttered, 'Not if it's studying us, to figure out what we will do next.'

'Isn't **_that_** obvious?' Haldir replied, slightly sarcastically. 'Lord Celeborn made it clear that we are to find whatever it is and stop it. As for right now, the sun is already sinking in the sky. We can either continue this argument, continue looking, or set up camp before it gets dark.'

'Do you speak this way to Lord Celeborn?' Glorfindel sternly asked.

Haldir snapped, 'Of course not. **_He_** never acted like I was an inconvenience to him or treated me like a child.' The 'Lorien Elf stalked off towards the other side of the clearing. Even if Glorfindel saw him as a child, Haldir was not going to let Lord Celeborn down. The words that Rissan had spoken to him echoed in his mind, plaguing his thoughts.

Glorfindel froze at the harsh accusation. He knew that Haldir was right, but he was used to his solitude, to being alone, as was his choice. Part of him resented Celeborn deliberately breaking his customary privacy by sending Haldir along. Everyone knew that he liked to be alone, Glorfindel thought. So why had Celeborn made him take Haldir with him? He was pulled out of his thoughts when he realized that he was standing alone, and that Haldir was already halfway across the clearing.

Glorfindel called to Haldir, who blatantly ignored it. The young Elf was tired of trying to gain the Elven lord's approval when all Glorfindel did was either scold him, baby him, or argue with him. It was enough to make Haldir want to shake the older Elf and show him that he was not a burden, that he was capable of taking care of himself, if Glorfindel would give him the chance to prove it.

The thought-of Elf groaned and quickly sprinted after Haldir, who refused to look at him. It took very little time for Glorfindel to reach Haldir, and even from a distance, the Elven lord could see the angry and tension radiating off of him.

'I didn't mean to offend you,' Glorfindel began, before he sighed. The young one was apparently not even willing to concede that he was here.

Haldir merely continued looking straight ahead, not acknowledging the taller Elf that was trying to speak to him.

Glorfindel tried again, to reach past the hurt feelings and angry that he could easily read. 'The truth is… I'm used to being alone, and doings missions such as this one by myself. I have not been paired up with anyone since before you were born to do assignments for Lord Elrond and I am accustomed to having my privacy.'

'I didn't ask to come,' Haldir pointed out. 'My lord asked me to go with you, and no one can deny him a request. Not even Lady Galadriel can refuse him.' A wry note was in his voice, as he finally looked at Glorfindel.

A small, quiet laugh came from Glorfindel. 'No, I imagine that Galadriel does not wish to refuse him.'

Haldir choked back laughter. 'You actually made a jest and laughed! Did it hurt?' He smugly grinned at the Elven lord.

'No,' Glorfindel said, scowling slightly.

'Are you sure? You're scowling,' Haldir teased, a genuine smile on his face.

Glorfindel sighed, before he questioned, 'Why do you tease others so often?' He was starting to enjoy the bantering with the younger Elf, but Glorfindel wondered if it was more of a defensive gesture of Haldir's, to keep anyone from truly knowing him.

Haldir frowned thoughtfully. 'Why not?' he answered. 'It lightens the heart.' Though Haldir know that he was currently using it to keep his mind off of Rissan. He had to agree with his current, maybe ex-lover. Glorfindel would not like someone like him.

'Does it not get tiresome after a while? Can you not be yourself?' Glorfindel probed.

'Nay, for I desire to forget things that I can for a time and escape from the memories, before I must confront them,' Haldir whispered softly to himself, not realizing that Glorfindel had heard every word he said, as Haldir touched his bandaged right wrist gently with his left hand.

Glorfindel's piercing, blue eyes narrowed at those words, and he tried to figure out what Haldir meant. Was he trying to forget how his wrist had been deliberately damaged, or why it had been done? Or was the memory of the one who had done it what Haldir wished to forget?

Haldir suddenly looked at Glorfindel. 'We should probably start making a camp, unless you want to continue searching this night. But I do not know if it will be safe to sleep on the ground.'

'Then we can sleep in the trees,' Glorfindel answered.

'I…' Haldir looked at his wrist, and then back at Glorfindel. 'I cannot climb a tree one-handed.' He shifted, and his pack brushed against his back, felt even through his shirt.

Glorfindel said, 'Then I will help you. Let's find where we're going to sleep and light a fire, before we decide if we sleep on the ground or in the trees.'

To be continued


	5. Part 5. The First Night

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'.

Part 5. The First Night

Glorfindel and Haldir found an empty clearing, with trees nearby that held plenty of branches, should they need to take to them to escape from an unknown foe. The grass was soft, so it would not be uncomfortable to sleep on. Rising in the dark sky, the moon shone down on them, and the appearing stars winked at them, shining brightly.

Glorfindel set about making a spot to light a fire, to make certain that the fire would be controllable and not burn down the forest of 'Lorien. Haldir gathered small branches, twigs, and a few stray leaves for the fire, keeping an eye for anything unusual. He was slightly nervous, for two reasons.

One, they so far had no way of knowing whatever it was that attacked the other Elves, and therefore, they could not know whether or not they would be able to feel it near them, or if their Elven senses would be able to pick up its movements.

Two, he was spending the night out here, alone with a very handsome Elven lord, who unfortunately saw him as nothing more than a bother. True, Glorfindel had apologized, but Haldir was willing to bet that he was seen as just a burden to the older and more experienced Elf.

Then Haldir told himself that he was being foolish; he still needed to come to some sort of agreement with Rissan before he did anything else. They were here to find and stop whatever it was, and nothing else. And he would do well to remember that, Haldir solemnly thought. Disappointment gnawed at him, as he shifted the wood he held with his left arm.

Glorfindel said, 'I'm ready for the wood now, Haldir.' He glanced up and was startled to see the way the moonlight was illuminating the younger Elf's pale skin and golden hair, causing it to look radiant.

'Here,' Haldir replied, as he awkwardly placed the wood beside Glorfindel, admiring the glistening highlights in his hair from the moon's rays of light. It also lit up Glorfindel's handsome face, making him look ethereal. 

The two stared wordlessly at each other for a few minutes, their eyes locked, before Glorfindel began arranging the wood, feigning a calmness that he did not feel. 

Haldir quickly walked over to his bag, where he'd placed it beside a tree, and he knelt beside it. He began sorting through it, bringing out his bedding, arranging it silently. His eyes continuously flickered towards Glorfindel, though not obviously so. He hoped. There was nothing wrong with looking, after all. Still… Rissan's words echoed in his mind, plaguing him whenever he felt a strange, warm attraction to Glorfindel. 

By the Valar, Haldir was a mere child to him, Glorfindel sternly told himself, lighting the fire carefully. He had no right to look at Haldir so, especially since he knew that Haldir and Rissan were apparently together, even if they were currently fighting over something. His deep, blue eyes watched Haldir as he arranged his bedding, admiring the rippling muscles that showed clearly through the shirt he wore.

Haldir shuddered slightly, not liking the silence. It wasn't just the silence between himself and Glorfindel; it was the silence of the animals within the forest, that should have been awake at night and on the move. But there was nothing, and it made him uncomfortable. A feeling of wariness was growing inside of him, and he didn't know why.

Haldir then felt stupid and, reinforcing his opinion that he was not a child, he told himself to stop acting like he was only two hundred. Instead, he grabbed some of the dried meat, fruit, and some lembas out of his pack with his left hand.

Taking a bite out of one of the lembas, Haldir's eyes darted around nervously. If Rissan were here, Haldir knew that he would be laughing at him for being such a nervous twit.

Glorfindel was puzzled at the apprehension he saw in the younger Elf. He was not entirely at ease himself, but he didn't understand what was troubling him.

'Is something wrong?' he questioned.

Haldir further embarrassed himself by jumping at the unexpected question. 'It's just… so quiet. The forest is usually alive at night, and…' His vague feelings of danger were increasing.

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. 'And?'

'There's something…' Haldir shook his head, not believing that he had nearly voiced his feelings aloud. 'I'm probably imagining it; never mind. Are you hungry?'

'That depends on what the feast is,' Glorfindel answered, trying to make Haldir more at ease, but he didn't forget what the young one had nearly said. It worked, for Haldir's face grew slightly pink, before he replied.

Haldir smirked. 'Well, I have lembas, fruit, meat… What do you want?' The traces of fear faded in his twinkling eyes.

How about you, Glorfindel nearly said, enjoying how the faint, rosy flush lit up his face even more, with the light of his fire. 'I wouldn't object to some fruit,' he hastily replied.

Haldir casually stood and carried some of his food over to Glorfindel. 'Enjoy,' he said, before sitting beside the fire. 

'Thank you,' Glorfindel answered, right before he took a bite, trying to think of anything but the gorgeous young Elf sitting near him.

Haldir nibbled at the rest of his lemba, looking everywhere but at Glorfindel. 'Where are we going tomorrow?' he inquired.

'I thought we could circle around the entire forest, and visit the places where the other Galadhrim were attacked, in case any clues happened to be left there.' Glorfindel chewed and swallowed.

'What do you think it is?' Haldir blurted out.

Glorfindel turned an amused look on the younger Elf. 'I don't know… yet.' His tone was confident, for Glorfindel felt that he- no, they, he reminded himself- would figure it out fairly soon.

Haldir nodded. 'How do you want to divide the watch tonight? I can watch for half the night, if you can take it for the rest of the night.' A slight, teasing challenge was in his voice, as he grinned at the Elven lord, ignoring the strange feelings that were disturbing him.

'I can go without sleep,' Glorfindel countered. 'You, however, cannot, youngling.'

'I am **_not_** a youngling!' Haldir yelled, focusing on his anger rather than his fear.

Glorfindel said flatly, 'You should not be yelling, unless you want to attract our prey to us.'

Haldir muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, 'I don't care!'

'You should care,' Glorfindel sternly reprimanded the younger Elf.

'Why are you treating me like a child?' Haldir shouted, feeling anger, frustration, fear, and desire, as he jumped to his feet and scowled down at the seemingly emotionless older Elf.

Glorfindel stood as well and looked down at Haldir. 'Why are you acting like one?' He crossed his arms and sighed, as if disappointed.

Haldir stomped over to Glorfindel and glared at him. 'I wouldn't be acting like one if you wouldn't treat me like one!'

Their faces leaned closer together, anger blazing in both of their blue eyes. And then it happened.

Their lips met, softly at first, before it became crushingly hard. A tingly warmth enveloped the two Elves, as they kissed, fueling their mutual desire. Soft kisses came and went between their lips, making both breathless and leaving them wanting more.

Glorfindel broke away first, looking, for the very first time since Haldir had met the Elven lord, un-composed. 'No,' he told Haldir, trying to get a grip on his emotions. Well, at least he knew what those sweet, full lips tasted like, Glorfindel mused. Then he shook his head. What in the name of Elbereth was he thinking?

Haldir had never felt anything like that before. Having only experience with Rissan, the 'Lorien Elf had not even so much as touched another Elf… until now. His eyes were wide with shock, and a twinge of hurt when Glorfindel stepped away, telling him 'No'. Resentment built up in Haldir and he turned his back to the Elven lord, hiding the pain in his heart.

Haldir icily asked, 'Do you want to take first watch, or should I?'

'I'll take first watch,' Glorfindel sharply murmured, grabbing at any excuse to distance himself from the young Elf that he wanted to throw to the ground and take. He stalked away from the fire, sitting with his back against a tree. How could this irritatingly persistent, teasing, **_young_**, handsome, brave, and volatile Elf that could kiss him senseless be penetrating through his defenses? Glorfindel forced himself to discipline his mind; he was older, he knew better, and he was on a mission here, which did not include seducing Haldir. Though that idea was tempting. He'd been alone for quite a few centuries, and Glorfindel decided that his reaction to Haldir was simply because even he grew lonely at times, though no one would even know that.

Haldir kept his back turned to Glorfindel, mistaking the silence for repulsion. Apparently, Glorfindel hadn't been as affected by those kisses as he had been; it seemed to have given him the opposite reaction. Haldir laid himself flat on his back, in his bed, looking up at the stars. His right wrist rested across his chest, while his left hand rested under his head.

Neither of them could sleep, but neither of them spoke, either, as the hours slowly drifted by.

Glorfindel and Haldir did a relatively good job of ignoring each other, until the watch switched. Glorfindel stood and stretched for a few moments, before he walked over and sat beside the fire.

Haldir silently sat up, stood, and walked over to the tree, ignoring the older Elf completely. He promptly sat and started thinking of what he would say to Rissan when he finally returned to his normal duties. Anything was a welcome distraction from this utter silence. Well, almost anything…

Haldir had only sitting watch for two hours when the wrenching feelings of uneasiness returned, driving out his other senses. He carefully looked around, but he could see nothing to explain the way he was feeling. He slowly stood, careful not to draw Glorfindel's attention, and a shiver ran down his spine.

A gust of wind blew through the clearing, and Haldir shivered, feeling very strange. He trembled violently, as he suddenly saw a black shape passing through the trees in front of him and Haldir froze when it looked directly at him. Searing black eyes gazed directly into Haldir's bright, cobalt eyes.

Glorfindel's keen senses alerted him to something unnatural being nearby, and he turned to warn Haldir, when he saw that the younger Elf was already standing, his entire body shaking. The Elven lord drew his sword and leapt to his feet, before he dashed over to Haldir's side.

'What's wrong?' Glorfindel sharply questioned, and then he saw the black figure that was intently staring at Haldir, unwavering in its intensely evil stare.

Haldir whispered, 'C-cold…' He didn't understand why the- whatever it was- was making him feel so cold, as if it were gnawing at his soul.

Glorfindel stepped in front of the younger Elf protectively and said, 'Face us, if you dare!'

Another cruel, freezing gust of wind tore through the clearing, plucking at clothes, hair, and piercing through even skin, directly into Glorfindel's soul. 

However, Glorfindel was no ordinary Elf; he was one of the few that had been able to return from the Halls of Mandos, returning to life from death. So whatever effect this creature had on Elves was diminished by the inner strength that Glorfindel possessed. Intense cold flared in Glorfindel, but he did not back down.

Haldir was finally starting to unfreeze, though shivers still ran through him. But they were not as bad as they had been, because the cruel gaze was no longer solely on him. To Glorfindel's surprise, the figure appeared to be disregarding him and focusing directly on Haldir.

The black figure left as silently and quickly as it had come. It was here for only one purpose; to feed from Elven souls, as its Master bid it too. The problem was that one of these souls was the one that its Master had said it could not eat, so it was forced to leave, rather than risking taking the soul it was not supposed to. But such youth… innocence… vibrancy in such a strong soul… It was a shame, in addition to the fact that it was not allowed to kill those it fed off of. It could only steal most of an Elven soul, which left the Elves nearly dead, but they recovered with time. But that fiery soul… it was so tempting to the creature, who was so hungry…

Glorfindel looked directly at Haldir. 'What happened?' he questioned, his concern making his voice sound sharp, as he sheathed his sword and focused on the still shivering younger Elf.

'I don't…' Haldir wasn't sure of what Glorfindel wanted him to say.

'Is this what you were about to tell me earlier? That there was something?' Glorfindel pressed.

Haldir sighed and confessed, 'I felt uneasy, and wary… But I didn't know why, until that thing…' He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to contain his shivers. 'What was it?'

Glorfindel replied, 'That… was what we seek. My question is why did it leave us alone, when it attacked all of the other Elves?' He didn't like the fact that Haldir was apparently sensitive to the evil cruelty that radiated off of the creature, and narrowed his eyes.

'Should we move to the trees? Will it be safe on the ground, when that figure is out hunting?' Haldir took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.

'We should, just in case,' Glorfindel decided. 'I'll help you.'

Haldir frowned but didn't press the argument this time. He was wondering how such a creature had gotten into Lothlorien- his home- and past the borders without being noticed or spotted by anyone, besides the Galadhrim that had been attacked.

The fire was doused, making Haldir wince, for he had wanted to use its warmth to try to warm himself from the few remaining shivers he had. His pack was left on the ground, and he took only a blanket, some food, and his weapons over to the tree that Glorfindel already stood in, waiting to assist him.

Glorfindel took a grip on Haldir's hand and easily pulled him onto the low branch. He held the ice-cold hand for a few moments, frowning. Haldir looked at Glorfindel silently, an unreadable expression in his eyes, before his hand was released.

The Elven lord took a high branch, keeping almost all of his attention focused on determining if the creature returned, until he saw Haldir sitting alone on a nearby branch, wrapped in the blanket, but still shaking.

Glorfindel heaved a sigh, and stood, quickly crossing over to the branch. The Elven lord was also fighting back the urges to shiver, remnants of the wind that had seemed to try to grab his soul wracking through him. He sat next to Haldir and slowly, silently wrapped his arms around the younger Elf, who looked at him wordlessly.

Haldir attempted to make a weak joke. 'I guess I really am young, to react like this to whatever that was.'

'No,' Glorfindel told him. 'Even I felt strange in its presence. It is the opposite of our inner light, which all Elves possess.'

Haldir somehow found himself leaning against Glorfindel, whose arms were wrapped around the younger Elf, keeping him warm. Both were wary of revealing their desire to the other, so neither moved or spoke for a while.

'Thanks,' Haldir said, so softly that Glorfindel nearly didn't hear him.

Glorfindel quietly murmured, 'You're welcome.'

They sat together like that, until, weary from fatigue and the draining effect that the creature had had on their souls, both drifted into sleep, their eyes going vacant.

Neither saw the creature return, searching for them. It looked for a while, before moving on to another part of the forest.

To be continued 


	6. Part 6. The Second Day

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. Takes place the next morning. Poll: should the G/H slash take place in the next chapter, during the second night, or on the third and final night?

Part 6. The Second Day

Haldir awoke at the sound of something moving. His eyes instantly returned to normal, as he warily looked around. He opened his mouth to say something, when a warm hand covered it. Haldir noiselessly whirled around, so fast that his hair whipped across his face, to see who was keeping him from speaking.

'Shh…' Glorfindel murmured. 'I've been listening to it for a while now. It's that creature again; it's looking for us.' Or you, he silently added. He enjoyed the feel of Haldir in his arms; after the Elven lord had awakened, he hadn't moved, because he had not wanted to wake Haldir. The younger Elf looked very innocent in his sleep, with his full mouth open just enough to play on Glorfindel's imagination and make him think of things he shouldn't.

Haldir nodded and peered down the branches, leaning forward slightly. Only then did he realize that Glorfindel was still holding onto him, because he could feel the strong arms around his waist. A flush appeared on his face, but he was surprisingly pleased.

The warmth spreading through his body had nothing to do with the warm sun that was rising slowly in the sky, and Haldir concentrated on keeping his breathing normal, until he got a look directly at the creature. It was currently intent on tearing up his pack, shredding both it and everything inside to pieces.

'We should be trying to defeat it,' Haldir said, but it came out in mumbles, because of the hand over his mouth.

Glorfindel whispered, 'What?' He wasn't really paying attention to what Haldir was saying, as the younger Elf shifted in his arms, looking at the black figure below.

Even in the daylight, the creature's features were impossible to make out, and it was not only because the two Elves were up high in the tree, hiding in its branches. The evil that it possessed surrounded the figure, blurring its appearance from even keen Elven sight.

Haldir tugged at the hand on his mouth, an impatient look in his eyes. When it was finally removed, he repeated his statement that they should attack, and Glorfindel shook his head in response.

'We need to study it first and learn its weaknesses, before we try to kill it,' Glorfindel said in a low voice. 'Otherwise, we may wind up like the Galadhrim that were attacked.'

'But won't it get stronger if we don't stop it before it eats again? That is, **_if_** it eats,' Haldir whispered back. A doubtful note was in his voice, as if he were unsure.

Glorfindel frowned thoughtfully. Haldir did have a good point; if the creature fed off of something, it would get that much harder to defeat. If it did not have to feed itself, then it would not gain any more strength from nourishment, but it surely would have to rest, he mused.

He finally told Haldir, 'You may be right, but any advantage we can get is worth a delay, unless we see it planning to harm something.'

Haldir reluctantly gave in. 'Very well, but we also do not know what senses it may have. I know it has eyes, but…' A shudder ran through him at the memory of those fathomless, black eyes, but he ignored it and watched Glorfindel.

'As for hearing and speaking…' Glorfindel sighed, before continuing with, '… it would be safer to assume that it can hear and talk.'

Down below, the creature paused, sniffing the air, trying to figure out which way the Elves had gone. It suddenly looked up, and both golden-haired Elves froze, to try to keep the creature from seeing them. In doing so, Haldir was pressed directly against Glorfindel, who stifled a slight groan.

The Elven lord scolded himself for enjoying the way that Haldir's body fit perfectly against his, and for liking the heat that was beginning to spread through his veins, clouding his judgment. Haldir shifted slightly, before he realized just how close he was to Glorfindel. His back pressed against the firm chest behind him, making him feel warm and somewhat dizzy, especially when the arms around his waist almost unconsciously pulled him closer. 

The creature screeched something so high-pitched that the sensitive Elven ears began throbbing with the intensity and volume of the warbling sound that echoed in Glorfindel and Haldir's ears.

Haldir's hands were pressed against his ears as tightly as he could manage it, flinching as the sounds grew even higher in pitch. Glorfindel was not faring much better, and one of his arms unwound from the younger Elf's waist. He used it to draw one of his small daggers, which had been hidden in a sheath bound to the calf of his leg.

Haldir was surprised when the remaining arm around him tightened, while Glorfindel took careful aim, forcing himself to ignore the agony of the screeches. The dagger was brought back and flung directly at the creature's throat, impaling itself deep into the black flesh.

The creature's cries cut off, though it did not die. Now it knew where the Elves were, so it began clawing at the tree, determined to bring it down. The tree shook with the efforts of the black figure to tear it down, anticipating feeding once more on an Elven soul.

Haldir and Glorfindel both grabbed onto the branch, as the tree began shaking harder, making faint cracking sounds. The small hemlock tree was designed to hold only light, agile Elves, not to withstand blows that were tearing its trunk into pieces.

Glorfindel pulled Haldir to his feet by the waist. After moving his hand from the younger Elf's waist to take a firm grip on his wrist, the Elven lord easily sprinted along the branch, pulling Haldir with him. Glorfindel leapt to another tree, with Haldir right behind him. They landed smoothly on a sturdy branch in the rowan tree, and the two Elves swiftly began climbing down it, lest the creature attack any more trees.

Once their feet were back on the ground, the creature turned towards them, a low, hissing sound escaping from its shattered throat. It started towards the Elves, delirious with hunger. No other Elves were around now, so it had to feed off of these two. It didn't even have to touch them to feed; all it had to was lock eyes with the Elf for more than a few moments and the delicious light within the Elf would come to him.

It had tasted both of these souls the night before, and the fiery soul was more appealing now than ever. If that other Elf hadn't interfered, it would have been a sensual feast. The figure ignored the taller Elf and focused its eyes directly onto the azure depths of the smaller Elf.

Haldir felt strange again, coldness creeping into his veins at the pitiless gaze. He tried to look away, but he could not, as his eyes rolled back in his head, before he swayed. Glorfindel broke the eye contact between their prey and Haldir by drawing his sword and placing it in front of Haldir's eyes. One of his arms held the younger Elf up, giving him support as Haldir regained his senses.

The 'Lorien Elf drew his own sword, glad that his right wrist was finally better. If it hadn't been, it would have hurt when Glorfindel had all but dragged him through the tree, before they had jumped into another tree. A desperate weariness was settling over him, making him very tired.

A crack of rumbling thunder drew the attention of the three in the clearing. The morning sky was beginning to grow dark and gloomy, with dark grey clouds covering the sun. The wind began blowing slightly, tugging at all loose things, including the long, golden, Elven hair.

The creature ran off while the two Elves were distracted, to get itself healed 

Glorfindel sheathed his sword and looked at Haldir. 'Are you all right?'

'I think so,' Haldir answered, yawning in spite of himself.

'How can you be tired already?' Glorfindel wondered aloud.

Haldir shook his head and placed his sword back in its sheath. 'We'd better find shelter quickly, before the storm breaks. I've never seen a storm come up so fast.'

Glorfindel nodded, as lightning sparked overhead. 'This way.' The Elven lord led the way, dashing through the forest towards a secret place that only he knew of. Haldir followed him closely, right before thunder cracked again. The rain that had been threatening to fall started pouring down, soaking directly through their clothes and cloaks.

Haldir forced himself to ignore the inner cold he felt inside as he closely followed Glorfindel, keeping his senses sharp in case the creature came back.

It took nearly half an hour to reach the place Glorfindel was heading for. When they arrived, he began sweeping aside the thick brush that covered the small entrance to a tunnel, which very few Elves had found. Haldir himself had not realized that it was here, and he wordlessly watched, until the entrance was fully cleared.

Both dashed into the tunnel, and Glorfindel carefully arranged the brush back over the entrance. After he was finished, they had to crawl for a while through the dirt tunnel at first, until it wide enough for them to stand in it.

'When did you find this?' Haldir inquired, gazing around the wide room. He rubbed his hands together, bringing them up to his lips to warm them with his warm breath. Water dripped from his hair and clothes, leaving a small puddle on the floor.

Glorfindel shivered a bit as well, while he brought his hands up and began wringing the water out of his long hair. His nimble fingers then removed his tunic, which was completely soaked. The Elven lord carried it over to a small root that was protruding through the dirt wall, and hung the tunic on it.

'Almost two millennia ago,' Glorfindel finally told Haldir.

'Oh…' Haldir took off his tunic carefully, before he began unwrapping his right wrist. After flexing it a few times, he smiled at Glorfindel. 'Well, my wrist is better now, so you don't have to worry that I can't defend myself any longer.'

Glorfindel wordlessly nodded, watching Haldir as the younger Elf walked over and placed his green tunic next to the Elven lord's blue-grey tunic. The rain had thoroughly drenched Haldir, making his clothes seem like they were part of his body, clinging to him and outlining his youthful body.

Haldir was a little amused when he saw Glorfindel staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something, when a feverish kiss was given to him. His lips parted further when a tongue pushed into his mouth hungrily. After savoring the warm kiss for a few moments, Haldir kissed Glorfindel back, his lips firm but sweet at the same time.

The Elven lord's kisses grew deeper, fueling the sizzling heat between the two Elves. Neither thought of what they were doing, ignoring nagging thoughts as Haldir slipped his own tongue into Glorfindel's mouth, while a hand tilted his face up for more kisses.

Haldir was startled to hear a ragged groan escape from Glorfindel, before a breathless kiss was placed on his own lips. A faint moan sounded when a hand insistently slipped under his shirt, as the other hand wound around the waist and pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together tightly.

The moan was enough to bring Glorfindel back to reason. He stiffened slightly and released Haldir, averting his eyes. 'Forgive me,' he said stiffly. He hated himself when he saw the hurt and confusion in the wide, blue eyes that looked at him.

Haldir unintentionally let his emotions show for a few minutes, before he schooled his expression, tightening his lips. 'Forgive you? For what, taking advantage of a 'youngling'?' His voice was bitter and cold, and Haldir felt a crushing pain inside of him that had nothing to do with the inner cold plaguing him. 

Glorfindel flinched and tried to rationally justify his actions, because he felt guilty that he didn't feel guilt over kissing Haldir. 'It's simply because I haven't been alone with anyone in a very long time and we're-'

'Rissan was right about you,' Haldir snapped.

'What does **_that_** mean?' Glorfindel demanded, his eyes narrowed. Part of him was secretly thrilled that Haldir had been discussing him with Rissan, but it appeared that the dark-haired Elf had not said something complimentary about him.

Haldir bitterly stated, 'Rissan said, 'You are far too young and naïve to see it, Haldir. Glorfindel will use you…' I think he was right to not want me to go with you on this mission, because-'

Glorfindel interrupted coldly with, 'See? Even **_he_** believes that you are young.'

'Rissan has the right to say such things; he was worried because he's my friend and lover, and he's only ever hurt me once, whereas you seem to delight in making me feel like…' Haldir cut himself off, not wanting to embarrass himself further.

Jealousy filled Glorfindel at those words, and he spat out, 'Really? Should I tell him that you were kissing me?

'You started it!' Haldir shouted. '**_You_** kissed **_me_**!' A quaver entered his voice as he softly muttered, 'No, you shouldn't tell him. He'll just get angry again, he's very protective…'

'Protective? Or abusive?' Glorfindel questioned, his anger fading somewhat at Haldir's words. _'He'll just get angry again, he's very protective…'_ The Elven lord was certain of what he would learn.

Haldir glared at Glorfindel. 'He loves me; he can't help it if he gets jealous. And he was right; I should have spoken with him before I practiced my archery.'

Glorfindel shook his head slowly. 'You are your own person, Haldir. You do not have to get permission from him to do something; he's not your keeper.'

'It's just his way of showing that he cares… and he did apologize for hurting me,' Haldir defensively said.

'Don't defend him to me, Haldir!' Glorfindel's voice was sharp, making the young 'Lorien Elf flinch.

Haldir countered, 'You don't even know him! You can't judge him without knowing him!'

Glorfindel retorted, 'Yes, I can, when I see that he hurt you, apology or not. He should not have hurt you in the first place. If he is jealous, he needs to talk to the one who was with you, not you, because that only proves that he does not trust you.'

'I…' Haldir hadn't thought of that. Glorfindel was right; Rissan did not seem to trust him, not after the things he'd said after hurting him.

The conversation stopped for a while, and both Elves eventually removed their damp cloaks and sat on them silently, as far apart as they could be. Long hours drifted by with only silence to fill them.

Glorfindel believed that he was right, though he could see that he had been harsh with his statements and the words he had said. But he himself had been in a relationship very similar to the one Haldir seemed to be in, and he had not realized how wrongly that he had been treated until one of his close friends pointed it out to him, expressing his concern.

The Elven lord chanced looking at Haldir, admiring his admittedly attractive features, while believing himself to be weak for being attracted to the younger Elf. He was too old and too set in his ways for someone as free-spirited as Haldir to be attracted to him.

Haldir was still reflecting on what Glorfindel had told him, and he could admit that the older Elf was right. He had truly done nothing wrong to make Rissan so jealous. A twinge of guilt plagued at him, as he looked at Glorfindel, drawn to the Elven lord, who appeared to be his complete opposite; dependable, straightforward, and composed.

So why was he so attracted to him, Haldir wondered, if they truly were so different. His eyes secretly roamed over the calm, appealing Elf across the room.

Each happened to catch the other staring and, after quickly glancing away, both had the same thought.

This cannot continue…

To be continued


	7. Part 7. The Second Night

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. It's nighttime, and the votes have been counted- 10 for the second night, 7 for the final night, and 4 for both. So I've done a little compromise for you, ok? Gets a little lemony… Sorry for the shortness of the chapter.

Part 7. The Second Night

Haldir and Glorfindel had not spoken for several hours- since their argument over Rissan. Both were too stubborn to take the initiative and apologize, so they sat there silently. Each had removed their cloaks and hung them up to dry on another root, next to their tunics. Neither blond Elf would look at the other.

Haldir was still dripping water onto the floor, because he refused to sit by the fire that Glorfindel had lit in the middle of the room, because that would make him have to sit next to the Elven lord. So he sat silently, leftover rain water dripping onto the floor as he shivered slightly, wrapping his arms around himself. The only good thing was that his hair had mostly dried; it was his clothes that were still drenched.

Glorfindel muttered, 'Are you **_trying_** to get sick? I have better things to do than take care of a young Elf who refuses to dry himself off in front of a fire and get warm.'

'Elves don't get sick,' Haldir shot back. 'Only three things can kill an Elf.' His tone was defiant and stubborn, as he frowned at Glorfindel. 'And I'm not young! Stop saying that, unless you want me to start calling you old!'

'Excuse me?' Glorfindel brought his eyes up to meet the challenge in Haldir's azure eyes, the slight smirk on that handsome face. The Elven lord cocked an eyebrow in response.

Haldir smirked even more. 'You heard me, old one.' The 'Lorien Elf calmly brushed some of his hair out of his eyes and thoroughly enjoyed the look of outrage on Glorfindel's face. It made him look even more attractive than before.

The older Elf stood in one graceful move, and walked over to Haldir. A simple grab and pull, and the younger Elf was yanked to his feet hard by his right wrist.

Glorfindel coldly stated, 'When you play with fire, little Elf, you're going to get burned.' His voice was low and heated slightly on the words 'fire' and 'burned'.

'**_Little Elf_**?' Haldir shouted in indignation, before he was cut off by a searing kiss, which warmed him from head to foot. Firm lips insistently pressed against his, as a warm tongue demanded entrance to his mouth, which Haldir opened, groaning softly.

Glorfindel explored every inch of the warm mouth, basking in the sweet taste that was more intoxicating that any mead or ale that the Elven lord had ever drank. His hands cupped the handsome face, before one drifted down and began memorizing the firm chest underneath the damp shirt, while his lips stayed locked with Haldir's.

Haldir was reveling in the sweet kisses, returning them just as potently as the ones that Glorfindel gave to him were. The 'Lorien Elf had never felt this strange feeling that seemed to be creeping into his very veins when the Elven lord touched him. One of his hands easily slipped under the dry shirt that Glorfindel wore and the other joined it quickly, exploring the firm muscles there with his deft fingers, which drove the Elven lord into even higher heights of passion

Glorfindel was stunned to find himself losing control, as he removed the wet shirt and tossed it aside, admiring the well-sculpted chest, before he crushed their lips together again. His hands pushed Haldir to the ground, and he straddled him, enjoying the feel of smooth, soft skin in his hands.

Haldir panted as he tugged off Glorfindel's shirt and flung it away eagerly, moaning when the Elven lord covered him with his body, touching him in places that Haldir had not realized were so erotic. A firm stroke across his abdomen and he whimpered, wanting more than just this. He wanted more… much more…

A firm hand entered into Haldir's leggings, causing him to pant harder and arch, even as Glorfindel's other hand fumbled with the leggings themselves, trying to remove them hurriedly. Haldir yanked at Glorfindel's leggings needfully, gasping hard.

Glorfindel took a moment to admire the flushed cheeks, with the light from the fire making the beads of sweat shine silvery. He flexed his fingers carefully, and heard a ragged groan, before reason rushed back into his mind. The Elven lord took a closer look and stiffened.

What in the name of the Valar did he think he was doing? Haldir was only a youth, barely past his maturity, and ruled by his emotions. He had no excuse for his behaviour, Glorfindel told himself. He was older and wiser, and he knew better than to take advantage of a young one such as Haldir. If Elrond saw him now, Glorfindel was certain that his lord would be very disappointed in him.

Haldir gave a protesting whimper when Glorfindel abruptly let go of him and stood, before turning his back to him.

'What's wrong?' he asked, confusion and hurt in his voice.

Glorfindel neutrally said, 'I should not have done that.'

Haldir frowned as he sat up. 'Why not? You wanted me- I know you did.' He hid his inner pain with anger, substituting the two mentally.

'Indeed,' Glorfindel replied. 'You are young and I…'

'And nothing,' Haldir retorted, before he stood and fixed his leggings. 'Forget it, since it was just a mistake. But I'll thank you to remember this: don't touch me any more, not unless you do mean it.'

Glorfindel couldn't keep a wince from crossing over his face. He knew he had hurt the younger Elf, and he had not meant to. The Elven lord averted his gaze when Haldir bent over and picked up his shirt, before stalking all the way across the room, next to the tunnel.

Haldir knew he was acting very childishly right now, but he didn't care, as he sat beside the tunnel. He was a fool, for even remotely believing that Glorfindel truly wanted him. The 'Lorien Elf shivered slightly, being even further away from the fire now, but again, he didn't care. The Elven lord was just using him, Haldir believed, playing some sort of game with him. Rissan's warning sang in his mind sharply, making the young Elf feel a little guilty for forgetting about him.

Glorfindel was worried that Haldir would get sick, Elf or not, but he said nothing, returning to the fire silently. He felt that he had hurt Haldir enough and vowed to keep his distance from the appealing younger Elf. Though Glorfindel still desired him; if he was honest, he would admit that. It was not, as Glorfindel had once thought, because of his innate loneliness.

Yes, that was the truth. The strong, even-tempered blond Elven lord was lonely. With no Kin to call his own, and most of his friends involved in a relationship with another, Glorfindel tended to be left out more often than not. He had prided himself on deceiving the world with his facade of indifference, but his heart knew the truth.

He had found no one to share his life with, no equal to lighten his heart.

Several Elves were lucky, born knowing who they would be with for their long lives, such as in the case of Crown Prince Legolas of Mirkwood and Prince Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir to Gondor. Glorfindel was certain that when the time came, Aragorn would choose to marry Legolas. Some things were meant to be and the Valar knew that it was true for the two of them. That also included Celebrian and Elrond, as well as Celebrian's own parents; Galadriel and Celeborn. Glorfindel was genuinely happy that they had found the ones they would spend their lives with.

As for himself… he remained alone, out of habit.

Haldir maintained a pretense of indifference, keeping his pain locked up inside of his heart. He knew it was dangerous but it did not matter to him. Death might be less painful that facing the reality that Glorfindel either did not want him, or his morals wouldn't allow him to see him as more than a child.

Neither of those two thoughts made the young Elf very happy, and he also felt that he was being stupid for even forgetting about Rissan, feeling guilty because he didn't feel guilty for forgetting about him. Haldir was not sure what that meant. He'd been certain that he was in love with Rissan, but now… he was not so sure. If he loved Rissan, he would not have come so close to…

Haldir let out a muffled sigh and shifted slightly, moving his feet so that they were flat on the ground. He pulled his bent knees towards his bare chest and rested his chin on them, with his arms holding his knees against his chest. A yawn escaped from him and he felt himself growing sleepy. Shivers went through him, as Haldir finally allowed himself to go to sleep.

Glorfindel glanced over when he heard the sigh. Guilt went through him when he saw how the younger Elf was shivering in his sleep. The golden-haired Elven lord watched for a few moments, before standing and walking over to him. Tenderly, Glorfindel lifted Haldir in his strong, firm arms, before carrying him over to the fire.

Haldir murmured softly, shifting closer to Glorfindel's warm, bare chest to ease the chills he felt. He did not awaken, even while he was carefully laid out in front of the fire and covered with a mostly dry cloak. He whimpered quietly when Glorfindel let go of him and started backing away, so the Elven lord remained next to Haldir. He told himself it was because he didn't want Haldir's cries to bring the creature to them, but he knew it for the lie it truly was.

Sometime later, Glorfindel stretched out on the ground next to Haldir and let himself drift asleep, reasonably certain that if something approached, he would wake at once. They were both exhausted from being caught in the rain and from running like that. Later, Glorfindel told himself, he would try to figure out what that creature wanted with Haldir, but right now they both needed to get some rest, before tomorrow, when they were supposed to kill the creature- if it could be killed.

Glorfindel fell asleep faster than he would have believed, listening to the deep breathing of the younger Elf laying next to him. Eventually, the fire grew lower, for no one was awake to put more wood on it. Glorfindel always kept wood in this small, dirt cavern, in case something happened and he could not get back to Lothlorien.

When the fire finally died, the air grew cooler, for though the entrance was covered with brush, wind still passed through it, into the tunnel. Blinding rain still poured down outside, washing away their footprints and scent, so no one could find them. Both Elves stirred slightly, and brushed up against each other.

Haldir was warmer than Glorfindel, and his eyes flickered open for a few moments when his back touched the Elven lord's bare chest. Outrage entered his eyes for a few moments, until he saw where he was now. The 'Lorien Elf watched Glorfindel sleeping, resisting the temptation to brush the golden strands off of his face. But it was so tempting… His hand reached out for a few moments, and that was when he realized that he had the Elven lord's softer, warmer cloak over him. Guilt went through him when he saw that Glorfindel was now shivering slightly, though he continued sleeping.

Haldir inched closer to Glorfindel and slowly drew the cloak over him as well, so that it mostly covered them both. The younger Elf rested his head on his right arm, as he turned onto his right side. He was nearly asleep again when it happened; two strong arms reached out and caught his waist, pulling him all the way against the Elven lord.

Glorfindel didn't hear the soft gasp, continuing to sleep silently. Haldir was intoxicated with the nearness of the handsome older Elf, and a flush slowly spread on his face. He grew used to the warm arms, however, and fell asleep again. His head rested against the bare chest behind me, with his golden hair splayed across it.

Neither woke up that night, feeling too warm and tired to even move.

****************

Somewhere Else

****************

A figure dressed entirely in black, with a black hood covering its face, hair, and ears stood in front of the creature. A single hand was outstretched, using magic to heal the wounds that the creature had gained at the hands of the ones that pursued it.

The creature knew better than to interrupt its master's thoughts, so it remained silent while it was healed, relieved when the pain stopped throbbing through it.

The other hand of the figure held the Elven dagger that was stained with the black blood of the creature, his creation. He knew whose dagger this was; he was not that stupid. After finishing the healing, he looked coldly at the creature.

"Do not hurt him again," he ordered. "I want him alive- not dead. Kill the other one, if you can. If not, don't bother coming back- I will not heal you a second time." 

The creature screeched softly once in agreement, before it ran off to find the Elves. It did not want to disappoint its Master, so it frantically began searching for them. The rain had made their scent very, very faint, so it took a long time to catch even a faint whiff of it.

The black-clothed figure looked after his creation, suppressing an inner sigh. This was an expected development; the Elven lord known as Glorfindel was, after all, no ordinary Elf. Returning from the Halls of Mandos to live again was impressive indeed. Not many Elves had that strength of will, which made Glorfindel who he was, and gave him favor from most of the Elves… including Haldir.

And that made him… too dangerous. It would not do at all for Haldir to fall for Glorfindel, not when he was already claimed by another. Yes, indeed, the attraction between the two was dangerous… Dangerous to the plans that had been made and carefully prepared, plans that would not be changed now because of this turn of events…

Haldir might not return untouched from this mission, but it would be the first and last time the younger Elf dallied elsewhere. And he knew exactly how to ensure that Haldir would obey… It was all so easy, Rissan sneeringly mused. He knew that his creature would not be able to kill Glorfindel, and was counting on it. It was part of his new plan.

Yes, Glorfindel was too dangerous…

Too dangerous… to live.

To be continued


	8. Part 8. The Third Day

Other: Lady Legolas, if I put out two chapters at once, that would mean that there would be delays in updating, even more than the current delays I keep having, due to parental influence. I don't have time to write two chapters for one particular fic everyday, especially when I have so many I still need to finish. *sighs* I need to clone myself!!

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, **not** Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. Takes place the next morning! Promised G/H slash next chapter and then… *hums dramatic music* Enjoy the funny mood of this chapter; it's going to change to dark in 2 chapters, so I wanted to bring a little humor into it first. Sorry this chapter is short again…

Part 8. The Third Day

Glorfindel stirred, as did Haldir. Both froze when they felt the other, especially Glorfindel, because he didn't know how this had happened. Their eyes met, before they began struggling to get apart, each turning a different shade of red.

Unfortunately, it was rather difficult, because one of Haldir's feet were pinned between Glorfindel's legs, and the Elven lord hadn't even realized yet that he was holding Haldir by the waist.

'Get off me!' Haldir cried, not wanting Glorfindel to realize just how his nearness was affecting him.

Glorfindel replied, 'I am trying, if you'd stop moving!' He winced at a hard nudge from Haldir's elbow in his ribs, while the older Elf tried to free Haldir's foot.

Haldir sweetly smiled and stated, in a sweet voice, 'You know… it might help if you let go of me. I might start thinking that you actually like me or something.' He enjoyed the crimson flush that crossed across the handsome face.

'This is…' Glorfindel blew long strands of his golden hair out of his face exasperatedly, and shifted his hands slightly. He was stunned when Haldir let out a muffled moan. The Elven lord found it erotic, and moved one of his hands again.

Haldir wondered if Glorfindel even knew what he was doing, until the older Elf did it again, and desire shot straight the 'Lorien Elf. Now how, Haldir wondered, had Glorfindel's hands wound up in his leggings?

Glorfindel brought one of his hands free from the confining leggings and gently ran it down the smooth, muscular back that pressed against him, getting aroused despite himself. He enjoyed the way Haldir seemed to melt into the touch, arching backwards.

'Glorfindel…' Haldir groaned, surprising himself.

Glorfindel found himself intrigued by the groan and rolled them both over, until he was pinning Haldir to the ground, before he dazed the younger Elf with a breathtakingly sweet kiss that burned between them.

Haldir kissed Glorfindel back hard, nearly crushing his lips, savoring the spicy flavor that was Glorfindel's own unique taste. A second kiss passed between them, before a third followed, leaving both gasping for air.

The Elven lord was drawn out of his thoughts when his stomach growled loudly, protesting that it had not been fed for a day. Haldir's did the same, but he was quite willing to ignore it and feast on something different than food, as he saw the desire in Glorfindel's eyes, which had gone a darker shade of blue.

'What about breakfast?' Glorfindel whispered, hungering for something besides meat, vegetables, or fruit.

Haldir hoarsely whispered, 'Who says it has to be food?'

Glorfindel froze and removed himself from Haldir, who looked disappointed again. If he didn't watch himself, Glorfindel knew that sooner or later, he would give into the temptation that Haldir presented. But it was easy to forget his duty and responsibility, especially when the Elven lord saw the flicker of hurt in the younger Elf's eyes, before Haldir stood as well, and purposefully turned his back to him.

The Lorien Elf was tired of the way that Glorfindel was toying with him, so he ignored the Elven lord, choosing to stalk over to where his shirt lay. After he picked it up and brushed off the dirt, Haldir put it back on, his finger flying down the tiny buttons. Then he walked over to where his tunic hung on the small root and put it on again.

Glorfindel did the same, replacing his own shirt and tunic, before he began, 'Haldir, I-'

'Forget it,' Haldir said icily. 'Is there any food for breakfast or do you want to just go stop the creature now?'

'We should eat something first,' Glorfindel answered, feeling too guilty to look Haldir in the eyes. It wasn't the younger Elf's fault that he couldn't control his own desires, despite the millennia he had seen in his long life.

Haldir flatly said, 'Fine.' He dug into the small pouch of food hanging from his belt, grabbing a long strip of dried meat for himself, before grabbing one for Glorfindel. He tossed it at the Elven lord, who caught it, and Haldir bit into his, refusing to look at the Elven lord. 

The young 'Lorien Elf was about ready to take advantage of Glorfindel, since he was so reluctant to take advantage of **_him_**. He wasn't that young, after all, and it wasn't like Glorfindel had been forcing him to do anything that he didn't want to. Haldir's eyes clouded over slightly, as he suddenly thought of Rissan. The more time Haldir spent with Glorfindel, the more he was beginning to question his relationship with Rissan, and then he felt guilty for questioning Rissan's actions towards him.

Yes, Rissan was very possessive and sometimes hurt him but… he did love him, Haldir believed. They had been together for nearly two years now, after Rissan had given him a present when he turned 950 and spoke of having feelings for him.

Haldir was starting to get a headache from the strain of trying to figure out what to do, and finally put the matter aside for now. He had other things to worry about, like how they were going to find and kill the foul creature that were hunting the other Elves. This was no time to be trying to figure out relationships…

After finishing the dried meat, Glorfindel looked at Haldir. 'Let's go find it,' he told the younger Elf. He hated the slightly suspicious look in the slightly darker blue eyes that reflected Haldir's feelings clearly, and told himself it was he deserved for playing around with his emotions.

Haldir curtly nodded, and grabbed his discarded bow and quiver, which he had placed on the ground last night. 'Fine,' he muttered.

As luck would have it, they didn't have to search very long for the creature, because it soon found them. The two golden-haired Elves were passing by a cluster of trees when it sprang out, catching them both off guard. Neither had been paying much attention to the search, for they were trying very hard not to be caught staring at the other.

Glorfindel was the one it lunged at, and its sharp, black claws cut across the Elven lord's face, on his right cheekbone, leaving bloody gashes behind. He swiftly drew his sword and deflected a second slice, before using the sharp blade he wielded to cut across the creature's chest, spraying dark blood out. The creature howled in pain and struck at the Elf hard, forcing Glorfindel to duck under the blow that would have come very close to removing his head..

Haldir notched an arrow and sent it flying into the creature's lower back, and quickly notched a second arrow, this time aiming at the back of it's throat. The arrow sang as it impaled the throat, but the creature merely turned and swung at the 'Lorien Elf, who leapt aside and drew his own sword. Haldir made certain to avoid eye contact this time, because he could not afford to be distracted right now.

The black, shadowy figure hissed softly, black saliva dripping onto the ground, as it gazed at the younger Elf it had been ordered not to kill. Its master was already displeased with it, so the creature saw no reason not to feast on the fiery soul in front of it. It sprang into the air, moving faster than Glorfindel believed possible, and landed in front of Haldir.

Haldir lowered his gaze instantly, to avoid the fathomless eyes, and sliced upwards with his dagger, at its face, even while the creature grabbed a hold of his arms, one dark claw on each, and forced him to meet its gaze. Before Haldir could close his eyes, the shining blue orbs met the cold, midnight-black eyes and he froze.

Glorfindel inwardly cursed and dove at the creature, his sword outstretched. A anguished cry tore out of Haldir as agony ripped through him, feeling something being taken away from him. Something precious and irreplaceable- his soul. Even in his pain, he forced one of his arms up, bringing his short sword up.

Two blades slid home; one in the middle of the creature's back, stabbing all the way through, and the other directly through its heart. Black liquid splashed everywhere, especially on Haldir, thoroughly drenching him.

The dark blood covered Glorfindel as well, and he knew he was going to be taking a bath before returning to speak with the Lord and Lady. He quickly wiped his sword clean and re-sheathed it, before racing over to Haldir. The 'Lorien Elf had fallen to his knees, breathing hard and shaking.

'Are you okay?' Glorfindel questioned. He then felt foolish for asking such a question, when it was obvious that Haldir was anything but all right. He knelt beside him and took him in his arms, holding him close and ignoring the blood that covered them both. Right now, Glorfindel didn't care about the age difference, or what anyone would say, as he protectively held Haldir against him, using body heat to warm him.

'Wha-' Haldir coughed hard, before trying to speak again. His voice was weary and drawn as he softly asked, 'What did it do to me?'

The experience Elven lord's eyes carefully looked at the younger Elf, before frowning. The natural light that surrounded Haldir, as it surrounded all Elves, was dimmer than it should have been, even in the daylight. The light of an Elf shone as bright as the Elf's soul did, so Glorfindel was very worried when he realized just what the creature had done. And furious.

He whispered, 'You'll be all right, Haldir. It didn't finish what it was trying to do.'

Haldir shifted slightly in the warm, enveloping arms, feeling a strange feeling within him that had nothing to do with the shivers that were finally ceasing. He wordlessly looked at Glorfindel when the Elven lord didn't release him. 'G-Glorfindel?' he murmured, until Haldir saw the look in the older Elf's eyes.

Their lips met sweetly, teasingly soft at first, before the kiss grew harder, as their mouths hungrily chased each other. Sizzling, burning heat burned inside of each of them, while the kisses grew deeper as they came and went between the two Elves.

Haldir eagerly responded, melting inside at the breathless kisses. He pushed his tongue into Glorfindel's mouth, before he began exploring it deeply. A soft moan left the 'Lorien Elf when Glorfindel's tongue began ravishing his mouth, tasting of spices.

Their hands drifted towards each other, but stopped at the feel of the sticky blood drying on them both.

Glorfindel growled low in his throat and whispered, 'We'll finish this later…' The Elven lord had caught sight of animals approaching the deceased creature, and he did not want them to eat of its flesh, lest they become sick from it. 'We must dispose of the body and cleanse ourselves before anything else.'

'All right,' Haldir answered, a silent thrill with him at the whispered promise. He stood, along with Glorfindel, to do what needed to be done.

And while they worked, first digging a hole large enough to bury the creature in, and then actually burying, before they separated to get clean, the promise was their primary focus.

To be continued


	9. Part 9. The Third Night

Other: I'm not mad at you, Lady Legolas and Princess of Mirkwood. I was only trying to explain why, at least currently, it would be very hard to get two chapters up every time I update. Sorry if I did sound mad… *winces* I was very tired and in a hurry.

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is now G/H slash in this fic! This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. The story is going **very** dark in the next chapter, and there will be implied torture, rape, etc… Just wanted to warn you. A bit lemony… Sometime after the last chapter…

Part 9. The Third Night

Haldir gazed up at the full moon as droplets of water twinkled on his bare skin, falling to the ground silently. He stood in the middle of the cool, flowing stream, removing the last traces of the dirt and blood from his skin. It felt so good to get the disgusting, black liquid off of him, for it had irritated him as it tried, becoming very sticky.

His golden hair dripped water as well, clean and sparkling in the silvery luminescence of the moon overhead. Haldir's pale skin shone slightly, proving that he truly was an Elf. Only their skin stood out in the night, because of their inner light.

The 'Lorien Elf continued working on his clothes, cleaning the dark liquid off of them. His tunic hung on a nearby branch, dripping dry, and he cleaned his shirt as best as he could, before he wrung it, releasing the majority of the water, until he placed it next to his tunic.

The leggings had the majority of the blood on them, but after scrubbing them with his bare hands for a few moments, they gradually became a brighter color. A discarded sword-belt, with a sword in its sheath, a bow, and a quiver rested against the tree where Haldir's clothes dried. Soon, his leggings joined his shirt and tunic, and Haldir began cleaning his hands again, for black blood covered them again.

The smell of fresh mint leaves was high in the air, surrounding the small clearing where Haldir bathed. The grass was soft to bare feet and springy, as it should be at this time of the year. A few shrubs and bushes isolated the clearing, keeping the Elf who was currently splashing water onto his face from being spotted from any who was not an Elf. The dark hemlocks intertwined with the honeysuckle and white rose bushes, framing the clearing perfectly.

Glorfindel was not too far away, further downstream, unseen by the younger Elf. He had quickly cleaned his own clothes, which hung from a branch overhead, before he removed all the pent-up grime and blood from his sturdy frame. When he was finished, his bare skin gleamed, a combination of the water covering him and his natural, Elven glow. His light was stronger than most Elves', because he had returned from death, leaving the Halls of Mandos to live again. 

Golden hair hung down to his waist, sparkling like diamonds were entwined in it, because of the water. His natural beauty restored, Glorfindel wrapped his cloak around him and left the stream, to find Haldir and see if he was finished yet. The gashes on his face had already healed over, thanks to his Elven healing ability.

After plucking his clothes out of the tree, the Elven lord headed down towards where Haldir had been bathing, assuming that the younger Elf would be done by now. Indeed, he saw as he silently entered the clearing, Haldir lay in the soft grass on the shore, with his own torn cloak draped across him.

Glorfindel's good intentions were swiftly forgotten when he saw the slender, lean chest rise slowly as Haldir breathed, with his arms folded behind him and his head resting on them. The Elven lord stared at the way the moonlight was dancing across Haldir, each time he moved, and felt the familiar stirring inside of him.

Haldir was too distracted to notice Glorfindel there, until he felt someone watching him. He sat up halfway and turned to see the older Elf standing there. Haldir stood, holding his cloak around him. He was aroused at the sight of Glorfindel standing there, with his black cloak barely covering him, and Haldir averted his gaze when he saw the amused look on the Elven lord's face at his blatant staring.

Glorfindel left his clothes next to Haldir's, before he walked over to the 'Lorien Elf. He peered down into the handsome, young face, and questioned, 'Feeling better?' His blue eyes darkened slightly at the drop of water on Haldir's bottom lip, finding it very erotic. He was sorely tempted to lick it away.

'Yes,' Haldir murmured. 'Are you?' His tongue slipped out and moistened his top lip, but ignored the drop of water that was maddening to Glorfindel.

'Never better,' the Elven lord whispered, as he lowered his face to Haldir's and used his own tongue to remove the water, before he kissed him hard, with longing and need.

Haldir's own desire was released in the kiss that threatened to crush both of their lips, a hungry, sweet kiss that left them both breathless and eager for more. Their mouths met again, sparking the familiar heat between them, while Glorfindel took advantage of Haldir's open mouth to push his tongue inside, exploring its warm depths.

A faint moan sounded, before Haldir plunged his tongue into the moist warmth of Glorfindel's mouth, not even noticing when the older Elf pushed him to the ground. Their mouths seemingly tried to devour each other, while their hands went to work.

Glorfindel broke the kisses long enough to trace the handsome, young face, lowering himself onto Haldir carefully, his eyes now a midnight-blue. His hands crept down the pale throat, to the firm but slender chest, teasingly slow, as he used his mouth to trail kisses down the throat, where the pulse was racing wildly.

Haldir couldn't contain his groan and surprised Glorfindel when, with a impossibly simple twist and turn, he suddenly straddled the Elven lord, planting on kisses on his nape, even while his hands explored every inch of muscular chest. Glorfindel growled lowly, not used to being underneath anyone, but enjoying the ministrations that Haldir gave him. Soon he hungered for more, so the Elven lord rolled them over, until he was pinning Haldir to the ground again.

No words were spoken, for Haldir was afraid that it would shatter the spell they both seemed to be under, as their kisses started again, but with a deeper feeling in them. Glorfindel didn't care any longer of the age difference or anything else, as he slipped a hand under the soft fabric of the cloak covering Haldir.

'Oh…' Haldir moaned, and he arched, pulling Glorfindel onto him more, a wordless need in his eyes, which the Elven lord acknowledged, letting his own cloak slip as he bestowed another warm kiss to the younger Elf.

Glorfindel traced all of the younger body beneath him, his hands cool and soft, leaving Haldir whimpering at everything he did, and the older Elf began to gain a sudden suspicion. He knew that Haldir wasn't untouched, but from the way he was acting it was as if the younger Elf had never known how pleasurable sex could be. So the Elven lord altered his plan, and proceeded to slowly, deliberately show Haldir just what pleasure could be found in this.

The slow pace was enough to drive Haldir crazy, and he wanted Glorfindel to take him now, instead of teasing him so. 'Please…' he whispered, growing frustrated when the older Elf shook his head. The searing touches delighted him, awakening feelings in him that he had never felt before, and Haldir was thrashing and begging ashamedly. 

The variety of sounds that came from Haldir was rather intriguing to Glorfindel, so he alternated between soft strokes across the planes of his stomach, which made Haldir whimper, and slightly rougher strokes that left the younger Elf moaning deeply. However, he found himself hard-pressed to keep up this slow pace any longer, so he removed both of their cloaks and shifted his weight slowly, turning them both slightly.

The two Elves burned together as they joined, with cries that startled any in earshot. Spent at last, Haldir lay within Glorfindel's stronger arms. Both had rosy faces and panted hard, sweat gleaming in little droplets on their skin.

Neither said anything for a few hours, content to lay next to each other, as they drowsily dozed. Then Glorfindel remembered what he had learned earlier and he turned to look at Haldir seriously.

'How long have you and Rissan been together?' he questioned curiously, trying not to bluntly come right out and say what was troubling him.

Haldir, in response, groaned, just now realizing that he had forgotten the one he had been sharing his bed with. 'Two years… and I completely forgot about him.' A self-loathing note was in his voice, causing Glorfindel to sharply look at him.

Glorfindel slowly sighed. He, too, had forgotten something- his morals. The Elf laying in his arms was young enough to be his son- if he had had one.

As if he sensed where Glorfindel's thoughts were going, Haldir muttered, 'Regretting it already?' He was already feeling slightly guilty because he had enjoyed being with the older Elf more than he had with Rissan.

'No,' Glorfindel admitted. 'But I am ashamed that I did forget that you were attached to someone else.'

'I don't know if I will stay with him,' Haldir murmured. 'I need to speak with him and…'

The Elven lord was pleased to hear the doubt in Haldir's voice; it meant that the younger Elf was beginning to question whether his relationship with Rissan was healthy. Glorfindel stifled a groan of his own, when Haldir shifted, incidentally pressing himself back against the Elf behind him.

Glorfindel nodded to Haldir's words, feeling himself becoming aroused again. Haldir was startled when, after squirming a little more to get comfortable, he heard a low growl from Glorfindel.

'If you keep that up, Haldir, I'm going to have to punish you…'

Haldir debated for a few minutes, before he turned to face Glorfindel. 'Punish me for what?' he asked sweetly.

'For being too tempting, young one…'

'**_Young one_**?' Haldir repeated, anger and hurt in his voice. He ignored the rest of the sentence, as he focused on those two words. 'If I'm so young, why did you sleep with me? Doesn't that violate some rule or something that the Elders have to obey?'

Glorfindel frowned, knowing that Haldir was right. 'I didn't set out to seduce you,' he snapped. 'You weren't exactly unwilling, either.'

Haldir jerked free of the arms that held him, and glared at Glorfindel as he stood. 'Really? Who kissed me first? I'm sure Lord Celeborn would love to know what you do during the missions that you are sent on. And I seem to recall telling you that if you didn't mean it that I didn't want you to touch me.'

'Just as I'm sure that Rissan would love to know that you cheated on him with me,' Glorfindel taunted. 'Was it that bad with him, that you were desperate enough to find someone else to satisfy you?' The instant the words were out of his mouth, the older Elf regretted them, when he saw how ashen Haldir turned. He'd expected the 'Lorien to be angry or embarrassed, not shaken.

Haldir stalked over to his clothes and swiftly dressed, pulling them on as fast as he could, ignoring the fact that they were still damp. After buckling his sword-belt around his waist, he grabbed his bow and quiver, before racing off into the night, leaving a stunned, older Elf behind.

Why did he always run off, Glorfindel thought, feeling irritated. Now he was obliged to go after the younger Elf, to make certain that he got home all right. He stood, and went over to his now mostly dry clothes. He dressed as quickly as Haldir had, placing his belt back around his waist, and ran after the 'Lorien Elf. He hadn't meant to upset Haldir, and he honestly had not meant to say what he had.

A pair of dark eyes had watched the two lay together, hidden amongst the shadows and leaves. Now the figure emerged, looking very pleased. Yes, his creature had been defeated, but Glorfindel and Haldir were arguing, which was all the better for him, Rissan mused.

The ebony-haired Elf let a grim smile cross his face. Haldir would not go unpunished for his actions, but Glorfindel was more to blame than the easily manipulated blond Elf, who wasn't even a millennia old yet.

Rissan smirked when he thought of his own age; he was nearly as old as Glorfindel. He shook his head, and set off at a fast pace through the forest, to return to Haldir's talen and wait for him to return home. He should arrive sometime tomorrow, probably in the late evening, and Rissan would be waiting for him.

A flash of some kind of emotion appeared in the cold, nearly pupil-less black eyes, as Rissan thought of just how much Haldir would suffer for his actions. The dark-haired Elf had already changed his plan; he couldn't kill Glorfindel, not until Haldir was effectively bound to him, in soul and body. Then… the Elven lord would die, for daring to interfere in something that did not concern him.

To be continued


	10. Part 10. Return

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is now G/H slash in this fic! This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. The story is now going **very** dark; implied torture, rape, etc… Nothing very graphic, though. Takes place when Haldir and Glorfindel arrive back in the heart of Lothlorien. Sorry so short- better next chapter.

Part 10. Return

Haldir blatantly ignored Glorfindel, feeling only hurt and anger. After all that they had been through together, Glorfindel saw him still as just a child? The anger that thought sparked within him was mixed with sorrow, for Haldir knew that regardless of everything, he still had not come to a decision about Rissan. Had he not argued with Glorfindel the night before, Haldir would have asked his advice, because he honestly didn't know what to do. But there was no way that he was going to ask him now, Haldir bitterly thought. Not after what Glorfindel had said…

Glorfindel watched the young 'Lorien Elf, as Haldir headed towards his own talen, no doubt wanting to get away from **_him_**. The Elven lord bowed his head slightly, before telling himself that it was what he deserved for taking advantage of such a young one. At least, that's how he tried to rationalize his behaviour to himself. But Glorfindel knew better- he knew that his initial irritation at Haldir was giving way to something else, something that he did not dare to name yet.

The golden-haired Elven lord went to where Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn usually sat, on their white chairs, in the heart of Lothlorien, so that he could tell them that the mission had been successfully completed and the danger was gone. Though a somewhat nagging doubt remained inside of him, but he did not know what it was.

'Well done, Glorfindel,' Celeborn impassively said. 'Was Haldir helpful to you in your task?'

'Indeed,' Glorfindel replied, schooling his thoughts so that even the enigmatic Galadriel would not know exactly what had happened between himself and the young one. 'He is young, but he is brave, and I perceive that he will be a good fighter within a few centuries time, given battles to train in.'

Galadriel stated neutrally, 'There are very few battles fought within Lothlorien, Glorfindel, whether they be external or internal battles.'

Glorfindel was startled; he thought he'd hidden it well, but the Lady of the Wood had bested even his disciplined mind. 'Haldir needs practice with both,' he finally said, and felt nothing but relief when they dismissed him to go and get rest.

So the Elven lord bowed and left, heading for the talen that Haldir had led him to. At  least he wouldn't be around Haldir to hurt him anymore, Glorfindel mused, feeling sorrow over that. He did not know why Elrond had suddenly decided that he needed time  away from Rivendell, but he was surprised to find himself feeling grateful for it. 

As he climbed up the ladder to enter his talen, Glorfindel continued his thinking. Yes, he was very old and very wise, but that was not surprising. Coming back from the Halls of Mandos was not an easy or swift feat, but it had been accomplished eventually, and it was around that time that Glorfindel had begun isolating himself from others; he knew that he was perceived as different and unique, which he did not mind, though it cost him dearly.

His old friends, for the most part, had not understood the change within him, but his new ones had taught him the value of oneself, reinstating in him humility and strength, the determination to protect those he cared about. But more… they taught him to feel again, even after everything had happened. And now the balance within himself was threatened by a handsome youth with a sly tongue and teasing demeanor.

It was troubling, to say the least, for Glorfindel prided himself on not needing anyone, so that if he lost everything that was precious to him in the world, he would still survive. There were very few chinks within him, the few people that Glorfindel did depend on to be there for him, as a friend.

Lord Elrond Peredhil was his closest friend, and knew him almost as well as Glorfindel knew himself. They had fought together side-by-side for many years, and trusted each other completely with their lives. When Celebrian had left for the West, Glorfindel had supported Elrond through the traumatic time, by simply reminding his friend that life could be sweet within the waiting, even in times of loss. Because all of his Kin were dead, Elrond had known that Glorfindel had spoken from personal experience. It was no secret that they were like brothers in all but blood.

Glorfindel entered his talen and proceeded to directly fall onto his bed groaning, trying to figure out what to do about Haldir. The young one had a way of piercing directly through his defenses and affecting him, which was why Glorfindel was torn between what to do. His defenses were not meant to be broken, yet Haldir had done so, with a simple jest, a sly grin, and twinkling eyes. 

If truth be told, it frightened Glorfindel, for he insisted on being in control of himself. The realization that another could penetrate his control was unnerving, especially since no one had affected him like this for centuries now. The Elven lord finally gave up on trying to figure out what to do, so that he could get some rest. He needed to speak with Haldir again, and he knew it, but a good rest was what they both needed before they spoke again.

Haldir had carelessly gone directly to his talen, wanting time away from Glorfindel. Part of him was in despair, for he believed that Rissan had been right; Glorfindel had just used him to get what he wanted, and that was all. Haldir didn't know what was worse; to be hurt, intentionally or not, by a lover, or to have one, who did anything but hurt you, just be using you.

A stabbing pain was in his heart, mixed with sadness, loneliness, and shame. He had not been free to give himself to Glorfindel, but he had done so and had thus betrayed Rissan, regardless of whether or not they stayed together. It hadn't been done on purpose; Haldir hadn't planned on sleeping with another, but it had happened and he could do nothing about it now. 

Even more frightening was the fact that he did not feel guilty over what he had done. In all honesty, Glorfindel had treated him with more kindness and consideration than Rissan had ever done, and that was not something that could easily be forgotten. What, then, did this mean about his current relationship?

Haldir was torn- if he truly loved Rissan, he never would have slept with Glorfindel. But how could he tell the dark-haired Elf of the truth he was only just beginning to realize without hurting him? Grief was deadly for Elves, as Rissan kept reminding him.

The young 'Lorien Elf climbed up the tree to his talen silently, hoping he would get a chance to rest and clean up before he was summoned to talk to his Lord and Lady. After entering the doorway, Haldir yawned and let his weapons drop to the floor, stretching his arms and legs, before walking towards his bed.

A shadowy figure, who had been out of sight, standing in the shadows cast around the talen, crossed the room silently and closed the door, before turning to Haldir. The younger Elf had only just realized he wasn't alone when he was tackled to the ground hard from behind.

Struggling desperately to fend off this unknown attacker, who wore a black hood over his face, Haldir reached for his sword, but it was drawn by his foe. So instead, the young Elf twisted and jerked, managing to pin the attacker down. He knocked the sword out of reach, only vaguely hearing the clattering sound it made when it landed on the floor, under the bed.

Haldir was flung backwards by a pair of strong feet kicking him hard in the ribs, and the attacker straddled him, quickly grabbing a tight grip around his throat. Haldir gasped slightly, but kicked out anyway, trying to dislodge the person, who merely made the grip tighter, until Haldir felt himself growing weaker from the lack of air.

His eyes spun weakly, until the grip was released slightly, allowing him to breathe a little. Though he was very weak, and Haldir knew he was in serious trouble. None of his attacks were working and this person was even stronger than he was, amazingly enough. Haldir wondered why he was being attacked and gasped breathlessly as he asked, 'Why?' Shock prevented him from moving, at this unexpected act.

'Why, indeed, Haldir?' Rissan coldly answered, keeping his grip on the slender throat hard, to prevent **his** toy from being able to fight back. 'What could you possibly have done to upset me?'

'R-Rissan, I…' Haldir began, not understanding, before his airway was cut off again. He pulled as hard as he could on the hand tightening his throat, but he felt himself fast approaching unconsciousness. His last coherent thought was, why?

Once Haldir passed out, Rissan released his throat, smiling evilly. First he would have his revenge, and then… then he would bind Haldir to him. So he slowly began unlacing the tunic that Haldir wore, keeping a close eye out in case either the annoying Elven lord from Rivendell came or in case Haldir recovered quickly.

Shortly after, muffled cries came from within the talen, but were quickly silenced, and no one who heard them knew what it meant or where the cries were coming from.

***************

Sometime Later

***************

Glorfindel could not sleep, because something nagged at him, but he didn't know what. He knew to trust his feelings, and right now they were telling him that something was very wrong, though he could not figure out what it was.

The Elven lord was surprised at where he found himself heading towards; the trees were Haldir's talen was located. Glorfindel decided that now would be as good a time as any to speak to Haldir.

Pausing beneath the tree, Glorfindel called up, 'Haldir? I need to talk to you.' No answer came, but the Elven lord didn't think anything of it; he knew that Haldir was still upset with him. 'Haldir, I'm serious,' Glorfindel stated.

A choked voice answered, sounding hoarse and weak. 'G-Glorfindel? Can I talk to you later, please?'

'What's wrong?' Glorfindel questioned, a worried frown appearing on his face. It sounded like Haldir had been crying, which made him believe that it was his fault. 'Haldir, please talk to me,' he said gently, when the 'Lorien Elf didn't respond.

'I want to be alone!' Haldir choked out, staying exactly where he was, pressed up against the darkest corner of his talen. A pale, white sheet was all that covered him, and tears ran down his face. 'Please…'

Glorfindel questioned, 'Do you really want to be alone, Haldir?'

Haldir took a shaky breath. 'Yes,' he lied, hating himself for it. Bruises were forming on his neck, and he knew that Glorfindel would instantly know what had happened to him the moment he saw him. Anguished sobs ran through Haldir, along with tremendous shame and fear.

'Are you certain?' Glorfindel pressed, knowing that something was very wrong. But if Haldir refused to speak to him about it, there was very little he could do, except to try to convince him at another time to reveal what was wrong with him.

'Please… Leave… me… alone!' Haldir half shouted, wanting to be alone in his shame and grief.

Glorfindel sighed, took a deep breath, and walked away reluctantly, because he didn't want to press Haldir too far. He couldn't force the Elf to confide in him. Considering what was to come, it was the worst mistake the Elven lord made in his entire life.

To be continued


	11. Part 11. The Truth

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is now G/H slash in this fic! This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. The story is now going **very** dark; implied torture, rape, etc… Takes place a month later…

Part 11. The Truth

Haldir sat beside the spring, fingering the blade in his right hand. The sounds of nature echoed all around him, yet the young Elf did not rejoice with the animals. His heart no longer sang at the sheer beauty of nature, when he rarely saw it. No joy came from singing or laughing or even taunting others slyly.

The grass beside the smoothly flowing brook was soft and comfortable, but ignored. A bird flew overhead, singing sweetly, yet it was not looked at. Even the light of the sun failed to cheer Haldir this day.  

His face was covered with fresh bruises, but it was not his physical pain that hurt Haldir so. It was the consuming grief inside of him, threatening to kill him if he let it slip for even a moment. The cruel words Rissan had spoken to him just an hour ago still echoed in Haldir's ears, as genuine, silver tears splashed onto the ground from his eyes.

***********

Flashback

***********

Haldir had purposefully sought Rissan out, for he could no longer ignore the strange changes within him, and wanted an explanation. Part of him knew he was being foolish for even speaking to him again, after Rissan had threatened to kill Glorfindel and every other Elf in Lothlorien if he told anyone what he had done to him that night. And it wasn't the last time it was ever done to him.

Rissan knew when he would be alone and took advantage of it whenever it wouldn't arouse suspicion from anyone else. This time, however, Haldir was planning on getting the truth out of the older Elf- what **did** he want with him?

As if summoned by his thoughts, Rissan stepped in front of him, out of a small glade of trees. Laughter and cruelty shone in his dark grey eyes, as he smirked, 'Looking for me, youngling?'

'Yes,' Haldir snapped, forgetting the threat. 'What did you do to me? And why?'

'You're here because of **_that_**?' Rissan burst out laughing at the naïve, foolish younger Elf. 'I think it was pretty obvious what I did-do to you… As for why… Why not?'

Haldir flushed with shame at those words. 'That's not what I meant and you know it! Enlighten me; you must have some reason for being as cruel and hateful as you are!'

Rissan sighed, 'The impatience of youth. I could have chosen any Elf, Haldir, but I chose you, and you want to know why?' He continued without waiting for an answer. 'Your soul is stronger than almost any Elven souls, even my own… You were the perfect choice for my plan. The fact that you were also handsome merely made the decision for me.'

'What plan?' Haldir demanded, paling slightly. He didn't really understand what Rissan meant about his soul, but didn't care right now. He wanted answers.

'I've been preparing you for some time now, Haldir. You are going to have **my** child, so that it will have a strong a soul as your own and be able to look Galadriel in the eyes without flinching before it kills her and Lord Celeborn,' Rissan stated firmly.

Haldir scoffed outwardly, 'That's impossible.' Inwardly, a coldness was settling inside of him. Could it be true? He wouldn't put anything past Rissan anymore.

Rissan shook his head. 'There are charms for allowing a male Elf to bear a child. The child's blood will then be used to bind you to me, keeping you under my control.'

'I'll never have your child!' Haldir retorted, anger giving him strength. 'You're worse than Sauron and Saruman combined!' His heart sank at the cold smile that Rissan gave him, before he uttered six words that shattered Haldir's strength of will. 

Then the evil one left, laughing.

**********************************************************************

Haldir fingered his blade again. Rissan seemed pretty confident about this entire plan of his. But there was something that the twisted one had not thought of. He, Haldir, was willing to be denied entrance to the Halls of Mandos by committing suicide.

It was the only way to save everyone. And for same insane reason, Haldir kept wishing that Glorfindel was here, to lend him his strength as he had done when they had fought against that creature.

'It's too late…' 

You drove him away with your foolish pride, Haldir sternly told himself, holding his bent knees against his chest with his free arm. Sobs wracked through him, grief threatening him with death and more. There was nothing left for him now. Ever since he had yelled at Glorfindel to leave him alone, the Elven lord had done just that.

Barely acknowledging him, except to ask a few times if he was all right, Glorfindel was requested to help train the young Elves that wished to become a Guardian, like Haldir was.

'It's too late…' 

This is your fault; you should have told him the truth when you had the chance. But you didn't, because you were ashamed and afraid. You have no one to blame but yourself. You should have been stronger; you should have known the truth, you should have seen Rissan for what he truly was! Or so Haldir tried to convince himself.

There was no way out of this. Either he lived and Rissan did what he had planned and killed his Lord and Lady, not to mention everyone else, or he ended it all by taking his own life. Haldir knew it wouldn't stop Rissan from choosing someone else to do this to, but it would cause some suspicion and doubt among the others, especially- Haldir hoped- Glorfindel. The Elven lord knew that Rissan had hurt him before.

'It's too late…' 

There was no escape; death or unwilling victim. Haldir had tried to think of another way, but he couldn't. There was no other way… You know this, he argued with himself.

'You already do…' 

As if in a daze, Haldir brought the knife up and the bright blade gleamed in the light. With the blade aimed directly at his left wrist, Haldir brought it down swiftly, preparing to end it all… To end this madness. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the end.

A firm grip caught his right forearm, preventing the blade from doing more than pricking his skin. Haldir opened his azure eyes and looked up into the shocked and horrified face of the tall Elf standing above him. Wow… Haldir dully thought. He is actually showing emotion for once.

'Haldir, what in the name of Elbereth were you doing?' a familiar voice demanded.

The 'Lorien Elf stammered, 'G-Glorfindel?' He froze, before muttering, 'Isn't it obvious?' He reached up and deliberately grabbed the blade of his knife in his left hand, not caring as he squeezed it hard, ignoring the blood that began running down his arm.

Glorfindel gaped when Haldir purposefully hurt himself, and he grabbed the knife with his free hand and flung it away, hearing it strike the ground. 'What is wrong with you? Tell me, because I'm not going away until you do!'

'Why do you care?' Haldir hissed, before trying to lunge for the dagger.

'Stop this!' Glorfindel said firmly, winding one of his arms around Haldir, tightly enough to keep the younger Elf from moving his arms. His other hand grabbed Haldir's waist, immobilizing him completely..

Haldir shouted, 'Let ME GO!' He twisted frantically, almost sobbing. 'Please!! Let me go! I don't want this, I'm so tired of it, just let me die!!'

Glorfindel was heartbroken at those words, and what it might mean, especially when Haldir burst into tears, sobbing hard. Releasing his arms from trapping Haldir, the older Elf held him close, letting him cry against his chest.

The older Elven lord was shocked at how dim the light was around Haldir; his natural light was much weaker than it had been the last time Glorfindel had been close enough to see it.

'What's wrong?' Glorfindel gently asked, as he rubbed Haldir's back with one of his hands.

'Stop,' Haldir sobbed. 'I don't want it anymore… I-I don't know what to do…'

Glorfindel continued holding Haldir, until he fell asleep, looking exhausted. His golden hair and face rested on the older Elf's chest, and Glorfindel lifted Haldir into his arms, carrying him towards his talen.

The Elven lord had known something was wrong with Haldir, but the younger Elf went out of his way to avoid him, barely speaking to him. No matter what he had said, Haldir had blown him off, until Glorfindel had given up, in frustration.

But his anger had melted away when he'd found Haldir trying to kill himself. He still cared for Haldir, and the last month had been agonizing as he had watched Haldir change from being a young, exuberant Elf into a silent, withdrawn Elf who no longer taunted anyone any longer. He had become pale and hardly spoke any more, isolating himself from everyone, and the haunted look in his eyes was saddening.

Glorfindel shifted Haldir into one arm, his considerable strength easily holding Haldir's light form, as he climbed up to where Haldir's talen was. Shock went through him again, for a second time, when he saw that the talen had broken things thrown all over the floor and the bed was unmade. Sheets were strewn across the wooden floor, and what looked like dried blood covered them. Dents were in the wall, looking like someone had either hit the wall in anger… Or had been shoved against it, Glorfindel suddenly thought, looking at Haldir's bruised face.

Turning, Glorfindel climbed back down the tree and went to his own talen, glad that most of the Lothlorien Elves were out hunting, including Rissan. He saw no one as he carried Haldir up the tree, into his talen. It was neatly made, with his belongings all where they belonged. Books were on the shelves, along with some healing salves, herbs, and bandages. His floor was clean, and all of his clothes were in the small dresser near the circular window. The large bed was made with soft, silk and velvet blankets, until Glorfindel pulled the covers back with one hand, long enough to tenderly place Haldir on the soft mattress. Then the dark blue and green covers were pulled around the exhausted Elf who slept like he hadn't slept in days.

Glorfindel took a seat beside the bed after he cleaned, treated, and bandaged the younger Elf's left hand, intending to keep an eye on Haldir until he woke. When he did, the Elven lord intended to learn the truth from him on what had happened to him to make him want to die like that.

Haldir whimpered in his sleep, Rissan's words still plaguing him inside of his soul.

'It's too late; you already do…' 

To be continued 


	12. Part 12. Explanation

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is G/H slash in this fic! This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. The story is now **very** dark; mentioned rape and attempted suicide, torture, mental, and physical abuse… Takes place hours later, near nightfall.

Part 12. Explanation

Haldir didn't know where he was when he first re-focused his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Glorfindel confronting him about trying to kill himself, before he had burst into tears, tired of the pain, the shame, and the inner agony he was going through.

Could he not even hold onto a shred of his dignity, Haldir berated himself, feeling even more ashamed as he remembered crying against the Elven lord, who had held him close until he had fallen asleep, from sheer exhaustion.

Glorfindel shifted slightly in his chair, drawing Haldir's attention. The 'Lorien Elf looked at the Elven lord silently, before lowering his gaze, sitting up slowly. He didn't feel worthy of looking the handsome older Elf in the eyes any longer, not after what Rissan had done to him.

Glorfindel frowned when Haldir was reluctant to look him in the eyes, and he cleared his throat, to prepare to speak. 'What happened to you, Haldir?' he questioned, a stern note in his voice. He would know if the younger Elf lied to him, and if Haldir did, Glorfindel was going to force him to admit the truth.

'I… Nothing,' Haldir blurted out, remembering Rissan's promises of death… death to his family and friends if he told anyone.

'Don't lie to me,' Glorfindel said grimly. 'Tell me the truth, unless you want me informing the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien of my suspicions.'

Haldir flushed horribly, biting his lower lip as he squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that he was anywhere else. 'W-Where do you want me to start?' he mumbled, feeling more tears pricking at his cobalt eyes.

Glorfindel sighed in relief, relaxing from his stern posture, looking directly at Haldir. 'Start from what happened that night I tried to talk to you… and you yelled at me to leave you alone," he told the young one, a gentler note in his voice.

'I-I… Could you close the door first?' Haldir requested, not wanting anyone else to overhear this. Or for Rissan to find out.

A dark eyebrow raised in slight surprise, but Glorfindel did as Haldir asked, before returning to his seat, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the younger Elf to tell his story, knowing that it was going to be painful.

Haldir winced. 'I didn't mean to yell at you like that… I was upset…' He took a deep breath, struggling not to cry again. 'A-After we returned to the heart of Lothlorien, I went… to my talen to get some rest, and because I was still upset with you. When I got there, he was waiting for me…'

'Who?' Glorfindel sharply asked, narrowing his own dark blue eyes.

'I… Rissan,' Haldir finally said. 'He attacked me and, eventually, knocked me out by choking me. When I came to, he was… And when he was done, he told me not to say anything to anyone, or he'd kill them. S-So I didn't… I didn't think anyone would believe me and he…'

Glorfindel winced inside. 'That's why you wanted me to leave. I should have stayed,' he replied, cursing himself. 'What else happened, besides that?' A compassionate look was in his eyes, and to Haldir, Glorfindel no longer looked like the stern Elven lord he was known to be.

Haldir squeezed his eyes shut again. 'He… He did it to me more than once, when I was supposed to be on patrol alone…'

'How did you not die?' Glorfindel was beyond angry; he was ready to kill Rissan for raping Haldir and threatening him if he dared to tell anyone. Haldir belonged to **_him_**, Glorfindel angrily seethed, and no one was going to get away with hurting him like this.

'He said he chose me- because my soul was strong or something. I didn't really understand what he meant," Haldir softly admitted.

Glorfindel carefully inspected the 'Lorien Elf, still seeing a strange weakness in Haldir's light. 'What are you not saying, Haldir?'

Haldir choked back a sob. 'I confronted him earlier today about why… He said that he wanted me to have his child, so that he could use it to kill my Lord and Lady… I-I told him I would never do so, and he told me, 'It's too late; you already do…' I…' Tears were streaming down his young face in earnest, blinding him.

'**_What_**?' Glorfindel hissed, blazing fury rising in him. He moved seats, changing to the bed, and took Haldir in his arms, feeling hot tears soaking through his shirt.

'I'm too young for this, Glorfindel- I'm not even 1000 yet!' Haldir wept, not caring how young he looked or sounded to the Elven lord he was still attracted to. 'I-I wasn't even planning to have a child, at least not until I had a permanent attachment and discussed it with the one I would eventually have given my heart and l-love to…'

Glorfindel slowly stated, 'Did he cast the spell on you himself or were you made capable of bearing children by someone of your choosing?' One of his hands brushed away the tears gently, tilting the young face towards him slightly.

Haldir swallowed hard, gulping in air. 'I-I think he did it, he said he'd been preparing me for it for some time… I don't remember him doing it to me; he must have done it after he knocked me out by choking me like that…'

That was a serious misuse of magic, Glorfindel knew, and enough to get Rissan banned from all Elven lands, if not imprisoned. Elven law forbid the killing of an Elf by another, but Glorfindel was sorely tempted to do it this time and ignore the law, as he tried to comfort the weeping Elf in his arms.

Haldir brought his hands up and rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that wouldn't go away. He was surprised when two large hands cupped his face, forcing him to look directly at Glorfindel.

Glorfindel looked directly in Haldir's eyes, before he spoke. 'Listen to me, Haldir. What he did was wrong, and it was not your fault. Whatever happens, I will be your friend and stand beside you. He will harm you no longer.'

Haldir sniffed and nodded, surprised at how good it felt to not have such a secret plaguing him any longer. He was so tired, he had not slept for days, being stricken with nausea and his crippling grief. Glorfindel gently pushed Haldir back down onto his bed, telling the younger Elf without words to rest.

Weary, cobalt eyes met Glorfindel's deeper blue eyes, before Haldir yawned, without meaning to. Glorfindel placed his right hand on Haldir's forehead, focusing on the strength of his own soul, to help the young one relax enough to sleep. His own natural, Elven light shone brighter, like a twinkling star, making him look indescribably handsome to Haldir as it surrounded Glorfindel with a white aura, before the 'Lorien Elf succumbed to sleep once more.

Strong arms then lifted Haldir, cradling him against Glorfindel's chest. The Elven lord knew that Rissan would probably be back soon and looking for Haldir, and Glorfindel had no intention of letting the dark-haired Elf find the younger Elf, not until after he had spoken with Celeborn and Galadriel. And Glorfindel did not intend to leave Haldir alone anywhere until Rissan had been imprisoned or whatever Galadriel and Celeborn decided to do to punish him for his actions.

The older Elf glanced down at the young, attractive face that was streaked with tears and bruises, and grimly vowed that Rissan would not get away with hurting Haldir so badly. If it came to that… Glorfindel freed one of his hands long enough to smooth a few golden strands out of Haldir's face.

Then the tall Elven lord carried his precious burden over to the door, fumbling slightly to open the door, before making his way down the tree. He headed directly towards where the Lady and Lord of Lothlorien usually were; in their chairs in the heart of their forest.

The coming night did not impair Glorfindel's vision, for two reasons. His keen Elven sight, and the fact that Lothlorien never lost its light, which was rumored to come from Lady Galadriel herself. If anyone could determine whether or not Haldir **_was_** truly going to have a child, she could, the Rivendell Elf knew. And if it was true, Rissan would be lucky to survive his wrath.

As if she knew everything, Galadriel appeared before Glorfindel, a grave look in her wise eyes, offset by the paleness of her skin. Her long, golden hair flowed behind her, seemingly dancing on the air, much as her white, long gown did, in the night wind that was blowing softly through the trees.

'Come with me,' she said impassively, looking directly at the Elven lord, who nodded, following her as she led the way to a private clearing, where her mirror was located. A makeshift bed had been placed near the mirror, with white, silk sheets.

It was there that Glorfindel laid Haldir, who was so deeply entranced in sleep that he had not awakened, even when he was placed on the bed. His vacant eyes did not refocus on the two standing blond Elves who were looking at him silently, and had Haldir been awake, he would have flinched under such intense scrutiny from the Lady of the Golden Wood. 

Galadriel then turned her daunting gaze onto Glorfindel. 'Celeborn and I have known for some time that Haldir is suffering terribly from a nearly fatal grief, but he never said a word about it and until he confessed his pain to another, we could do nothing to alleviate his pain,' she said, lifting her chin slightly as she threaded her fingers together, looking as impassive as ever.

'Are you certain that was the right thing to do?' Glorfindel couldn't help asking, feeling his own guilt and sorrow, intertwined with his anger. 'Haldir nearly killed himself and would have succeeded if I had not stopped him.'

'Indeed,' Galadriel said, before looking at the bruises across Haldir's face. 'It appears, in our endeavors to keep Lothlorien and its inhabitants safe from outside threats, that we failed to protect Haldir from internal threats. I heard what he spoke to you of; no secrets can be kept in Lothlorien for very long, especially such traumatic ones.'

Glorfindel asked, 'What is to be done to the one who did this to him?'

Galadriel murmured, 'Exile will be the least of his punishments, but I am not certain if that is wise. Haldir needs support from someone in this matter, for Celeborn and I can only remove the source of his torment. We cannot, however, heal the emotional trauma of what he has been gone through.'

'Rissan will not support Haldir through this, even if he bears a child or not. And what kind of a father could he be, forcing himself onto Haldir just to get what he wants?' Glorfindel argued, a frown on his face. He didn't want Rissan within a hundred feet of Haldir. 'I have already told Haldir that I will support him through whatever happens, and I mean to keep my word to him.'

'It will be hard for him…' Galadriel began. 'He is very young and frightened, Glorfindel; Haldir is not near an age where he should be worrying over whether or not he will bear a child conceived in the most appalling way of all, instead of a child of love.'

Glorfindel nodded. 'I know. It would hurt anyone to be in those circumstances, but Haldir is terrified and young, so young that he should not be facing this right now. Does he bear a child, Lady Galadriel?' An anxious note was in Glorfindel's voice because if he was, Haldir was going to be suffering a lot more than what he was already going through right now.

In response, Galadriel closed her eyes, before she opened them, telling Glorfindel the answer to his question silently in the depths of her unwavering gaze.

To be continued


	13. Part 13. Facing The Truth

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is G/H slash in this fic! The story is **very** dark; mentioned rape and attempted suicide, torture, mental, and physical abuse… There will be a surprise guest appearance in the next chapter…

Part 13. Facing The Truth

'I'll **_kill_** him,' Glorfindel growled, anger lashing throughout his entire body.

Galadriel raised a hand towards him in warning. 'You cannot, Glorfindel. The law of the Elves is not to be broken, no matter the reason behind it. If you kill Rissan, then you will be punished and will not be able to support Haldir.'

Glorfindel gritted his teeth, as a sudden thought occurred to him, and he was surprised that he had not thought of it sooner. 'Is the child truly Rissan's? Or is it mine?' He wasn't certain how he would feel if the child was his, because he was not sure if he could be a good parent, but Glorfindel would rather Haldir have his child than one the younger Elf would most likely resent because of the way it was conceived.

'Until the child is born, I cannot say,' Galadriel stated impassively. 'For good or ill, Haldir carries a child, and its father is either you or Rissan.' She squarely met Glorfindel's angry look, and shook her head. 'Even the wisest cannot tell. Lord Elrond of Rivendell shall be sent for, for he has more experience in dealing with such things than either Celeborn or myself.'

'What of Rissan?' Glorfindel asked, cold neutrality in his voice.

Galadriel replied, 'He will be stripped of his rank… as well as his magic, and become an outcast among all of the Elves, for there is no excuse for what he did to young Haldir.'

Glorfindel did not believe that was a severe enough sentence, but he said nothing, deciding to deal out his own punishment later. Haldir needed him right now, and he was not leaving until he was certain that the younger Elf would not attempt to do anything foolish again, like committing suicide.

'Stay with him, Glorfindel, if you intend to see him through this,' Galadriel said. 'I shall summon the Lord of Rivendell to come as soon as he is able.'

'I… see,' Glorfindel said flatly, unable to believe that the Lord and Lady of the Wood would only banish Rissan for his actions. Beheading Rissan seemed more appealing than just letting him get away with rape and torture, **_and_** his actions had nearly caused Haldir to kill himself!

Galadriel walked away silently, to find Celeborn so that she could tell him everything, and Glorfindel stood beside the bed where Haldir slept, looking like a lost, defenseless youth to the Elven lord. A soft moan came from Haldir, as he turned over on his side, before he whimpered and struck out with his hands, seemingly fighting someone.

'Stop…' he choked out, the pleading note in his voice making even Glorfindel hard-pressed not to shed tears. 'I don't want this; let me go!' He thrashed, jerking in the bed, uttering whimpers and pleas, tears running down his handsome face.

Glorfindel softly murmured, 'Tis alright, Haldir; you are dreaming, you are not being hurt.' He wanted to hold the younger Elf, to reassure him that everything would be all right, but was not certain if that would be allowed, after such trauma and pain had been given to Haldir in unwanted touches. But it hurt him to hear the pleading that Haldir was doing.

Haldir whimpered again, 'Please…' He lashed out, flailing one of his arms wildly, until he faintly became aware of a soothing voice speaking to him. It was vaguely familiar, and the 'Lorien Elf finally recognized the voice as Glorfindel. 'Help me,' he pleaded, not realizing that the voice was not from his dream, but from the worried older Elf who was now trying to wake him.

'Wake, Haldir!' Glorfindel said loudly, finally using his hands to gently shake Haldir. He was taken by surprise when the younger Elf jerked awake suddenly, gasping hard. Pants came out of him, and beads of sweat were on his forehead, until his eyes locked with Glorfindel's.

A sigh, born of relief, escaped from him, when he saw the deep blue eyes that looked at him compassionately. Haldir's own blue eyes closed; he could tell from the way that Glorfindel was looking at him that his fears were true, though Haldir absently wondered how he had gotten outside, when he had fallen asleep in Glorfindel's talen. Despite the pain of everything he had gone through, the warm, firm hands on his shoulders relaxed the distraught, younger Elf, for they reminded him of what Glorfindel had promised; he would not be going through this alone.

Though Haldir did feel weak for needing to rely on someone as strong as Glorfindel was- but he knew that if he tried to face all of the pain and agony by himself right now, eventually he would try to kill himself again. Despite what Rissan had done to him, Haldir's conscience told him that the child within him was innocent, no matter who its father was.

Glorfindel sighed, 'You know, don't you, Haldir?' Sadness radiated from him like an aura, surrounding him with a gentle, soft light.

'Yes…' Haldir whispered. 'I am too young for this; I am not ready, Glorfindel. How can I care for the needs of a child, when I am still a child myself, compared to you or my lord or…'

'I will help you,' Glorfindel began, trying to calm Haldir down. It didn't work, however, which the Elven lord instantly realized.

Haldir shook his head and passionately stated, 'You won't be around forever, Glorfindel, will you? I will be alone in this, and even if Rissan does not take the child, I will still be alone… What will the others say?'

Glorfindel squeezed Haldir's shoulder when the younger Elf did not pull away. 'I will be here as long as I can, to help you. And the child may not be Rissan's, Haldir.'

'Whose child could it be then?' Haldir bitterly asked. 'He's the only one who has touched me this past month.'

Glorfindel pointedly said, 'We were together for one night, Haldir, and you yourself said that you did not know **_when_** Rissan made it possible for you to bear a child. The child could be mine, depending on when Rissan cast that spell.'

Haldir paled, having never thought of that. 'How will I even know?' he questioned. 'Tis not as if I can use magic to figure out who the father is.' He still did not feel that he was ready to have a child, not while he was so young and when he himself was still a child in the eyes of his Elders. He sighed and changed the subject, not wanting to consider the consequences if Glorfindel was the father. True, the Elven lord would be a much better father than Rissan could ever hope to be, but the odds were against it. 'How did I get out here, Glorfindel? I thought I fell asleep in your talen.'

'You did, but I knew that Rissan would be returning soon from the hunt, and I wanted to inform the Lord and Lady of the Wood of what has been happening,' Glorfindel explained, mentally preparing himself for the anger that was sure to follow.

'You told them? How could you?' Haldir gaped at Glorfindel, feeling humiliated at the realization that his Lord and Lady knew of what had happened to him.

Glorfindel nodded once. 'Even though you do carry a child, Haldir, there is no way of knowing if Rissan would have tried the same thing with another, or even if he has. From what you told me, it doesn't seem likely, but that was not a chance I was willing to take- or the chance that he might try to find you. Besides, Lady Galadriel told me that she and Celeborn both knew that something was wrong with you, that you were suffering from grief, but they did not know why… until now.'

Haldir flushed at those words; he hadn't thought anyone had noticed that something was wrong, save for Glorfindel. As if sensing his thoughts, the older Elf frowned. Didn't Haldir realize that even **_he_** had noticed, and they had been arguing? Of course his friends had noticed that something was bothering him, though they had been hesitant to say anything to him about it.

'Lady Galadriel is sending for my lord,' Glorfindel finally said. 'Lord Elrond has more experience dealing with male Elven pregnancies than Lady Galadriel, though she is a stronger Healer than he is.'

'So he's going to know as well?' Haldir choked out, feeling even more shame. 'I don't want everyone knowing what he did to me… It's bad enough, what they'll say about…' His flush grew even worse at the words he was certain would be said.

Glorfindel bit back a sigh, and vowed, 'They will not blame you, if Rissan **is** the father. His actions were cruel and uncalled for, Haldir, and if anyone says anything cruel to you, tell me and I'll deal with them.'

Haldir swallowed and nodded. 'W-What if it is yours?' he blurted out, without meaning to. There was a very slim chance of that being true, and Haldir knew it inside of his heart. But was it so wrong for him to cling to that tiny hope? At least then someone would be there to make sure he didn't ruin the child's life, and if the child was Glorfindel's, there was no way the Elven lord would let Rissan take the child away. Though Haldir was certain that Glorfindel wouldn't allow that, no matter who the father was.

'If the child is mine, I will take responsibility,' Glorfindel answered, sensing Haldir's unspoken need for reassurance. 'It will be raised by both of us in the Elven traditions, as we both were.'

Haldir cleared his throat slightly, realizing that Glorfindel did not know his past, though the older Elf's was known to all. He quietly said, 'I was not raised in the Elven traditions; I was found by Lord Celeborn when I was naught but a young child, only fourteen years old in the years of a Man. I lived with a Man, his wife, and their descendants, until my lord found me, and took me to Lothlorien, to return me to my Kin. Rumil and Orophin finished my upbringing but… I was raised as a human child, not an Elven one. I do not know the traditions.' He bowed his head slightly, for very few knew that story. It was one reason that he was an outsider, or so he thought, among the Galadhrim.

Glorfindel reached out and lifted Haldir's chin with his hand, his eyes flashing with a warning look, telling the younger Elf silently that his story was not something he should be ashamed of. After all, Glorfindel's own lord was now raising the descendant of his deceased brother, Elros, who had long, long ago chosen to become Mortal.

Warmly, the Elven lord smiled at Haldir, receiving a slow, hesitant, but beautiful smile in answer from the uncharacteristically shy young Elf. His own smile deepened, before Glorfindel took Haldir's smaller right hand in his own carefully.

'Come, Haldir… I have not eaten this day, and I am certain you have not. Let us eat and then we can make arrangements for everything else,' Glorfindel coaxed.

Haldir stood and allowed the Elven lord to lead him towards where the evening meal was still being held, though he was uncertain, afraid that Rissan would appear again and try to hurt him again. He was a bit surprised when Glorfindel did not release his hand, but he was grateful, because of the stares they both were getting from the other Elves.

Glorfindel piled two plates high with vegetables, fruit, and tender, roast pheasant, one at a time. He handed one of the plates to Haldir, before they sat down at an empty, small wooden table. The carved wooden chairs were not uncomfortable as they ate silently, pretending not to notice the way the other Elves around them were whispering.

Haldir could not hide his apprehension as well as Glorfindel could, and he frequently looked at the Elven lord, seeking reassurance, though it did make him feel even more weak and cowardly. Glorfindel did not hesitate in reassuring the younger Elf, as if he could feel how uncertain that Haldir truly was.

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Elsewhere in Lothlorien

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Rissan stared at Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel contemptuously. 'So he finally told someone?' he sneered. 'I'm surprised that he waited so long…'

'You do not even bother to deny your actions?' Galadriel said, a flash of anger passing through her eyes quickly. The normally composed Elven lady could feel nothing but disgust for Rissan, who was openly proud of what he had done.

'Why would I? All I want is the child,' he retorted. 'Haldir is of little consequence; the only thing that matters is the child- **_my_** child.'

Lord Celeborn swallowed hard, suppressing an urge to suddenly kill the unfeeling, callous black-haired Elf before him. Sorrow was in his eyes, for Haldir was as a son to him, though the Elven lord of Lothlorien would never admit it aloud. He had failed to protect one of his own from this twisted, despicable Elf… 

Galadriel countered, 'The child will never know you, for because of your actions against Haldir, you are banished forever from the realm of Lothlorien, and your powers will be stripped from you as well, for daring to use them in such a way.

Rissan snickered at those bold words. 'No one here can remove my abilities, not even you, great Elven witch that you are.' He arrogantly brushed a strand of his ebony hair out of his own piercing, dark eyes. 'The child will be mine, one way or the other.' He cruelly smiled, before gesturing slightly with his hand.

A gust of wind tore through the trees of Lothlorien, ripping delicate leaves from their branches, spiraling them through the air and around the solitary Elf who stood in front of the Lord and Lady of the Wood. Rissan smirked; he hadn't even exerted himself yet, and he could see the shock that Celeborn and Galadriel were trying to hide.

The Galadhrim sprang as one to defend their lord and lady, but another humongous gust of wind sent them flying off of their feet, back against the trees.

Galadriel closed her eyes briefly in sorrow… _Forgive me, Elrond, son of my heart_, she thought, before she chanted a long, sharp Elvish phrase, using her own ancient magic to calm the wind and silence its wrath, and then she turned to Rissan.

But it was too late… the black-haired Elf had vanished, leaving only his weapons and Elven cloak. Celeborn immediately ordered the Galadhrim to find him, if Rissan still remained in Lothlorien, before he saw to his pale wife. He had not been prepared for Rissan daring to attack them, though it was obvious that his beloved Galadriel had.

Galadriel looked directly into her husband's worried eyes. 'I'm all right,' she told him, a grave note in her voice. 'See to it that Elrond is sent for,' she murmured, feeling strangely weak from using her magic. Galadriel had not needed to use her magic very often in her long life, and the energy it took cost her much.

Celeborn first carried his weak wife to bed tenderly, before he sent a messenger to Rivendell, to bring Elrond here. He had been told the entire story, and he, too, knew that Elrond would be the best.

To be continued


End file.
